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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pound — a weight
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. spell — letters
  6. bore — to tire
  7. degree — from a university
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. fine — high quality
  10. squash — the sport
  11. spell — magic
  12. bore — to drill
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. degree — an amount
  19. squash — to crush
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fine — all right
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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