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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. file — a tool
  3. degree — from a university
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. degree — temperature
  6. file — a document
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. degree — an amount
  11. shower — rain
  12. wound — an injury
  13. file — a line of people
  14. court — of law
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rush — hurry
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wound — an injury

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