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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. club — for dancing
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. drill — army training
  7. club — a group
  8. mate — to breed
  9. club — for golf
  10. file — a document
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pop — soda
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. mate — a partner
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. pound — a weight
  20. drill — the tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mate — a friend
  23. file — a tool
  24. degree — an amount

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