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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. net — for catching
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. net — after costs
  9. bound — certain
  10. club — for dancing
  11. land — to come down
  12. net — in sport
  13. club — for golf
  14. ground — a position
  15. land — ground
  16. degree — from a university
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. club — a group
  19. ground — the earth
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. land — a country
  22. degree — temperature
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bound — obliged

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