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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: fall · bore · degree · deal · drill · chest · firm · game

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. drill — a practice
  3. firm — steady
  4. chest — a box
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. degree — an amount
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bore — to tire
  13. game — wild animals
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bore — to drill
  16. firm — a company
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — to handle
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. chest — of your body
  23. drill — army training
  24. degree — temperature

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