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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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. capital — money
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bound — obliged
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rock — music
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rock — a stone
  16. degree — temperature
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. capital — a city
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pitch — completely
  24. degree — from a university

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