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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chip — for betting
  4. dip — to sink
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. degree — temperature
  8. snap — to click
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — an amount
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bound — tied together
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. chip — to eat
  15. pop — music
  16. net — in sport
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. net — after costs
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pop — to visit
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pop — soda
  23. bound — certain
  24. net — for catching

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