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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: mark · bore · pound · foot · degree · swing · sharp · file

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. file — a line of people
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pound — a weight
  5. degree — from a university
  6. foot — a measure
  7. file — a document
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bore — to drill
  10. degree — temperature
  11. file — a tool
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. sharp — clever
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bore — to tire
  22. mark — a grade
  23. swing — in golf
  24. mark — a trace

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