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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 120 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 ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. degree — temperature
  4. tear — from crying
  5. degree — an amount
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. tear — to rip
  23. degree — from a university
  24. sharp — with an edge

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