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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. spell — a short time
  7. stem — to come from
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. toast — bread
  13. spell — magic
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. spell — letters
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. degree — an amount

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