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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. current — happening now
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. kid — child
  7. degree — temperature
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. last — to go on
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. kid — to tease
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. current — of water
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. current — electric
  18. last — final
  19. degree — from a university
  20. last — finally
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pitcher — a jug

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