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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 116 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. degree — from a university
  4. fine — all right
  5. bound — obliged
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bore — to drill
  12. capital — money
  13. bound — certain
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. capital — a city
  21. bore — to tire
  22. firm — steady
  23. fine — high quality
  24. bound — tied together

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