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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pop — to visit
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pop — soda
  7. plane — a tool
  8. snap — to click
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. foot — a measure
  15. degree — an amount
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bound — obliged
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pop — music

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