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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. current — happening now
  5. bore — to tire
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bat — the animal
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wake — a trail
  15. race — a contest
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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