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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: bore · degree · swing · ground · hide · deal · mate · rest

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. ground — crushed
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mate — to breed
  10. swing — in golf
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. ground — a position
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. swing — music
  15. bore — to tire
  16. degree — from a university
  17. rest — a break
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rest — what's left
  20. degree — temperature
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mate — a friend
  23. rest — what's left
  24. swing — to play on

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