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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. race — humankind
  5. degree — from a university
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. mine — for digging
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bore — to drill
  18. present — a gift
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. race — a contest
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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