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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.

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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bound — tied together
  3. can — to be able to
  4. race — humankind
  5. band — a ring
  6. bound — certain
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. court — of law
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bound — obliged
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. degree — from a university
  16. court — of a king
  17. can — a tin
  18. court — for sport
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. degree — temperature
  22. race — a contest
  23. can — a tin
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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