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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 116 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. degree — an amount
  3. can — a tin
  4. net — for catching
  5. bore — to drill
  6. object — to protest
  7. pound — a weight
  8. kid — child
  9. degree — temperature
  10. can — a tin
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. can — to be able to
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. net — after costs
  18. degree — from a university
  19. net — in sport
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bore — to tire
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — a thing
  24. kid — to tease

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