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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bound — obliged
  3. degree — temperature
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rash — hasty
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. scale — size or range
  14. ground — crushed
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bound — certain
  17. court — of law
  18. rash — a series
  19. degree — an amount
  20. ground — a position
  21. bat — the animal
  22. scale — in music
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rash — on the skin

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