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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — to tire
  5. land — ground
  6. mate — a partner
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pass — a permit
  10. vault — a safe
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. land — to come down
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. land — a country
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. degree — temperature
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. degree — from a university

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