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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: kid · racket · file · mouse · mate · squash · degree · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. squash — to crush
  3. file — a tool
  4. bore — to tire
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mate — a partner
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. mate — to breed
  11. squash — the sport
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mate — a friend
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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