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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: hide · foot · toast · degree · bore · kid · sharp · bass

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bore — to drill
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bore — to tire
  6. degree — temperature
  7. kid — child
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bass — the fish
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. degree — from a university
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. sharp — clever
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bass — low music
  24. foot — part of the body

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