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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. swing — music
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. degree — from a university
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. degree — temperature
  14. swing — in golf
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. hand — help
  17. swing — to play on
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. degree — an amount
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bore — gave birth

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