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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bound — tied together
  6. band — a ring
  7. bound — obliged
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wake — a trail
  10. squash — to crush
  11. scale — size or range
  12. degree — temperature
  13. scale — in music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. band — a music group
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. saw — the tool
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bound — certain
  22. squash — the sport
  23. degree — an amount
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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