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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: safe · mate · object · bore · mine · degree · sharp · leaves

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — to breed
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. sharp — clever
  7. degree — temperature
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. object — a thing
  12. bore — to tire
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. object — to protest
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. mine — for digging
  22. object — an aim
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bore — gave birth

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