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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wake — a trail
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. hand — help
  10. degree — temperature
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stock — shares
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. stock — goods
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bore — to tire
  20. hand — in cards
  21. row — a line
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com