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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bore — to tire
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rush — hurry
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pound — a weight
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bore — to drill
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. squash — the sport

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