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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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Word bank
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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: pound · cap · bore · kick · squash · saw · pitcher · degree

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cap — a hat
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bore — to tire
  9. kick — in football
  10. cap — of ice
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — a weight
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. degree — an amount

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