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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bank — for money
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bank — of a river
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. degree — from a university
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pound — a weight
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bank — for money
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bore — to tire
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. saw — the tool

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