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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. ground — a position
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. band — a music group
  8. bound — certain
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bound — obliged
  11. ground — crushed
  12. band — a ring
  13. bound — tied together
  14. degree — an amount
  15. current — electric
  16. fine — all right
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fine — high quality
  19. mate — a friend
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mate — to breed
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — of water
  24. deal — a big deal

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