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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 120 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bore — to drill
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. bore — to tire
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. tube — a container
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. degree — temperature
  16. drill — the tool
  17. march — the month
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. tube — the underground
  20. degree — an amount
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. drill — army training

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