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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. squash — the sport
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bass — low music
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bound — certain
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bound — obliged
  15. squash — to crush
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. shower — to wash
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bass — the fish

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