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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 124 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bore — to drill
  4. file — a line of people
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bore — to tire
  7. shower — to wash
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wound — an injury
  10. file — a tool
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — happening now
  16. degree — from a university
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. file — a document
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. current — of water
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. current — electric
  24. shower — rain

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