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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. net — for catching
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. net — in sport
  5. degree — from a university
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bound — tied together
  12. tube — a container
  13. swing — music
  14. degree — temperature
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. swing — to play on
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. swing — in golf
  20. net — after costs
  21. ground — the earth
  22. degree — an amount
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bound — certain

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