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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. band — a ring
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bound — certain
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bore — to tire
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. current — of water
  14. band — a music group
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. degree — an amount
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bat — the animal
  19. current — happening now
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. current — electric

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