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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. chip — for betting
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. pass — a permit
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. hand — in cards
  11. kid — child
  12. hand — help
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. stand — to bear
  15. band — a ring
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. degree — temperature
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. band — a music group
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. kid — to tease
  24. hand — part of the body

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