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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bass — low music
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bound — tied together
  11. row — to paddle
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. degree — from a university
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mate — to breed
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bass — the fish
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bulb — for light
  23. row — a line
  24. mate — a friend

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