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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: degree · craft · lie · kick · bore · staff · last · swing

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. swing — music
  3. lie — to recline
  4. craft — a skill
  5. staff — employees
  6. craft — boats
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. last — final
  9. kick — in football
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bore — to drill
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. degree — an amount
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. staff — employees
  19. swing — in golf
  20. degree — temperature
  21. last — to go on
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. last — finally
  24. lie — an untruth

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