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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · degree · mouse · bore · kick · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. kick — in football
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pit — a hole
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. degree — temperature
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. degree — an amount
  17. club — a group
  18. mouse — the animal

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