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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. deal — to handle
  3. degree — an amount
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. degree — temperature
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. degree — from a university
  11. snap — to click
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mate — to breed
  15. ball — a great time
  16. mate — a partner
  17. season — in sport
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bound — obliged
  22. fork — in a road
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. ball — a dance

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