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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bore — to tire
  3. last — final
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. net — for catching
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — steady
  9. net — after costs
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — to handle
  12. degree — temperature
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. net — in sport
  15. band — a music group
  16. rest — what's left
  17. firm — a company
  18. rest — a break
  19. last — finally
  20. degree — from a university
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. last — to go on
  23. degree — an amount
  24. band — a ring

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