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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. degree — from a university
  3. roll — a cake
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. staff — a stick
  8. race — humankind
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. race — a contest
  16. staff — employees
  17. degree — an amount
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. staff — employees
  20. degree — temperature
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bound — tied together
  24. roll — a list

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