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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mug — a cup
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mug — a face
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. bound — certain
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wake — a trail
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cell — a phone

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