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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. degree — temperature
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. court — for sport
  5. kid — to tease
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. club — a group
  13. kid — child
  14. cell — a phone
  15. court — of law
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. court — of a king
  18. tube — a container
  19. degree — from a university
  20. club — for dancing
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bound — certain
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. club — for golf

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