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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. degree — an amount
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pit — in a race
  6. last — final
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bore — to tire
  11. degree — from a university
  12. last — finally
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. press — a publisher
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bear — the animal
  22. kid — to tease
  23. press — to push
  24. last — to go on

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