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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: present · tube · degree · bound · drill · pop · nail · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bound — tied together
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. present — there
  6. pop — music
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. present — the time now
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. pop — soda
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bound — certain
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. present — a gift
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bound — obliged
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. tube — a container
  20. pop — to visit
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. degree — temperature

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