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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bound — obliged
  4. chair — a leader
  5. degree — an amount
  6. tube — a container
  7. bass — low music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bass — the fish
  12. face — to point toward
  13. tube — the underground
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bound — certain
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. face — to confront
  18. key — the most important part
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. face — part of the head
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bound — tied together
  24. suit — in cards

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