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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 116 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. degree — temperature
  3. swing — music
  4. degree — from a university
  5. last — to go on
  6. net — in sport
  7. swing — to play on
  8. deal — to handle
  9. last — finally
  10. swing — in golf
  11. mug — a cup
  12. net — after costs
  13. mug — to rob
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. net — for catching
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mug — a face
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bore — to drill
  22. last — final
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. sharp — clever

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