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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 116 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: fork · swing · bore · race · file · hide · degree · scale

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bore — to drill
  3. degree — temperature
  4. race — a contest
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — the arms race
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. file — a tool
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. swing — to play on
  16. file — a line of people
  17. degree — from a university
  18. swing — music
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bore — to tire
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. file — a document
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. degree — an amount

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