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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 120 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. degree — an amount
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. degree — temperature
  8. tube — a container
  9. bound — certain
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pass — a permit
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pitcher — a jug

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