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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bore — to tire
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pound — a weight
  8. march — music
  9. tube — a container
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. degree — an amount
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. sharp — clever
  16. march — the month
  17. degree — temperature
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. march — the month
  23. tube — the underground
  24. sharp — with an edge

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