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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fine — all right
  6. degree — temperature
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. degree — from a university
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bass — low music
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bore — gave birth

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