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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. degree — an amount
  4. march — music
  5. bore — to tire
  6. staff — a stick
  7. degree — from a university
  8. root — of a plant
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. march — the month
  11. staff — employees
  12. root — of a word
  13. last — to go on
  14. march — the month
  15. last — finally
  16. staff — employees
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. degree — temperature
  20. root — the cause
  21. bore — to drill
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. last — final
  24. pound — a weight

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