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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bore — to tire
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. clip — a video
  5. vault — a safe
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. suit — clothes
  9. march — the month
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. degree — from a university
  14. clip — for paper
  15. suit — to fit
  16. clip — to cut
  17. suit — in cards
  18. march — music
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. march — the month
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. snap — to click
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pound — for dogs

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