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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wound — an injury
  3. saw — the tool
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. season — of the year
  6. net — after costs
  7. degree — an amount
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. net — for catching
  10. degree — temperature
  11. present — a gift
  12. season — in sport
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bore — to drill
  15. present — there
  16. saw — the tool
  17. net — in sport
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. degree — from a university
  21. present — the time now
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bore — to tire

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