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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. degree — from a university
  3. game — a match
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. scale — in music
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bore — to tire
  11. current — of water
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. clip — a video
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. scale — size or range
  16. game — wild animals
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. current — electric
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. current — happening now

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