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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.

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: degree · last · chest · drill · pound · fine · staff · shower

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. staff — employees
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. drill — army training
  6. chest — of your body
  7. staff — a stick
  8. degree — an amount
  9. shower — rain
  10. drill — a practice
  11. staff — employees
  12. chest — a box
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fine — high quality
  15. shower — to wash
  16. last — finally
  17. fine — all right
  18. last — final
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. last — to go on
  23. chest — of your body
  24. drill — the tool

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