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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mate — to breed
  5. degree — temperature
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rock — music
  9. club — a group
  10. bore — to drill
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rock — a stone
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. chip — to eat
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mate — a partner
  23. band — a music group
  24. chip — for betting

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