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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. game — a match
  4. bound — obliged
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bound — certain
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bound — tied together
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mate — a friend
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rash — a series
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rash — hasty
  19. saw — the tool
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. degree — from a university
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mate — to breed

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