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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. craft — a skill
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bass — the fish
  7. spell — magic
  8. craft — boats
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. cue — a hint
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cue — for pool
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. spell — letters
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bass — low music
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bound — obliged
  24. spell — a short time

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