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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bound — tied together
  3. spring — of water
  4. mark — a trace
  5. spring — a coil
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mark — a grade
  8. net — for catching
  9. bound — certain
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mug — a face
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. spring — the season
  14. bound — obliged
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. game — a match
  17. net — after costs
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. degree — from a university
  21. game — wild animals
  22. mug — a cup
  23. net — in sport
  24. degree — an amount

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