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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. court — of law
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lean — to bend
  5. degree — an amount
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bore — to drill
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. hand — help
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. lean — thin
  16. bore — to tire
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. court — of a king
  19. saw — the tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. court — for sport
  23. degree — temperature
  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