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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. season — in sport
  8. stock — shares
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. object — a thing
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bore — to tire
  13. file — a line of people
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stock — goods
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bat — the animal
  19. season — of the year
  20. file — a tool
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. object — an aim
  23. file — a document
  24. object — to protest

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