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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. lean — to bend
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. land — a country
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bound — certain
  10. mine — for digging
  11. land — ground
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. land — to come down
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — bread
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lean — thin
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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