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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. last — finally
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. last — final
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pitch — completely
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. last — to go on
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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