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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bound — certain
  4. mate — a partner
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. row — to paddle
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. degree — temperature
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. degree — an amount
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bulb — for light
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. degree — from a university
  23. row — a line
  24. mate — a friend

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