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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rest — a break
  11. degree — from a university
  12. band — a ring
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bound — certain
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bound — obliged
  19. ball — a great time
  20. rest — what's left
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. spring — the season
  23. band — a music group
  24. rest — what's left

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