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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wound — an injury
  4. march — the month
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. kid — to tease
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wound — an injury
  11. kid — child
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. march — the month
  14. degree — from a university
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bore — to tire
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. sharp — clever
  22. march — music
  23. mark — a trace
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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