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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bass — low music
  8. bore — to tire
  9. snap — to click
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bass — the fish
  17. tear — from crying
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. degree — an amount
  20. foot — a measure
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bore — to drill
  24. degree — from a university

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