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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bore — to drill
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ground — the earth
  7. land — a country
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. ground — a position
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bore — to tire
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. degree — an amount
  16. wind — moving air
  17. kick — in football
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. degree — from a university
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. sharp — clever

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