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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 124 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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. degree — temperature
  3. content — happy
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. degree — from a university
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. hand — help
  13. bound — tied together
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bound — obliged
  17. content — the amount
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bound — certain
  24. bore — to drill

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