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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. march — music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. club — for golf
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bound — obliged
  9. march — the month
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. tear — from crying
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. roll — a list
  17. degree — from a university
  18. club — for dancing
  19. march — the month
  20. bound — certain
  21. club — a group
  22. tear — to rip
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. degree — temperature

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