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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: degree · sharp · present · suit · hand · cell · bore · drill

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. hand — help
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bore — to drill
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. drill — a practice
  9. degree — from a university
  10. present — a gift
  11. bore — to tire
  12. suit — to fit
  13. hand — in cards
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — clothes
  17. sharp — clever
  18. present — the time now
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. cell — a phone
  22. present — there
  23. degree — temperature
  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