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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bore — to tire
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. degree — an amount
  8. hand — in cards
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pop — soda
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pop — music
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. hand — help
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pop — to visit
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bore — to drill

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