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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bore — to tire
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bore — to drill
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. degree — temperature
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pitch — completely

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