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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 116 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. last — finally
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. press — newspapers
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. last — final
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. band — a music group
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bore — to tire
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — from a university
  18. last — to go on
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. bore — to drill
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mark — a grade
  23. press — to push
  24. band — a ring

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