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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: firm · degree · race · prune · bore · mouse · kid · court

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. race — humankind
  3. firm — steady
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. court — of a king
  7. degree — from a university
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. court — of law
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — a company
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. kid — child
  16. court — for sport
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. race — a contest
  20. prune — to trim
  21. kid — to tease
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bore — to tire
  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