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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. degree — temperature
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cell — a phone
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. hand — help
  14. bound — certain
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. degree — an amount
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. game — a match
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bound — tied together

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