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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. degree — from a university
  6. band — a music group
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. club — a group
  9. rock — music
  10. club — for golf
  11. wound — an injury
  12. degree — an amount
  13. ground — the earth
  14. degree — temperature
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rock — a stone
  17. club — for dancing
  18. ground — a position
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bore — to drill
  21. band — a ring
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bore — to tire
  24. mine — for digging

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