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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. degree — temperature
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pound — a weight
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bound — tied together
  24. tear — from crying

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