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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. hand — in cards
  3. march — the month
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — a contest
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. degree — from a university
  10. fall — the season
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bore — to tire
  13. fall — to drop
  14. hand — help
  15. race — humankind
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. march — music
  21. degree — an amount
  22. march — the month
  23. row — a line
  24. fall — to drop

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