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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: bank · chest · board · degree · drill · mate · race · bore

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mate — to breed
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mate — a partner
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bore — to drill
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. board — to get on
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. race — humankind
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bank — of a river
  17. board — a committee
  18. chest — of your body
  19. degree — an amount
  20. drill — a practice
  21. chest — a box
  22. race — a contest
  23. mate — a friend
  24. board — a flat piece

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