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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. shower — to wash
  5. land — to come down
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bore — to tire
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. season — of the year
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. shower — rain
  15. land — ground
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. season — in sport
  21. bat — the animal
  22. degree — from a university
  23. land — a country
  24. safe — a strongbox

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