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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. game — a match
  3. bound — tied together
  4. club — a group
  5. degree — temperature
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bound — certain
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. degree — an amount
  11. spring — of water
  12. club — for golf
  13. content — the amount
  14. spring — a coil
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. spring — the season
  19. content — happy
  20. chair — a leader
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bound — obliged
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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