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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. degree — from a university
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. degree — an amount
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bound — certain
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bound — tied together
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. board — to get on
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rash — a series
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mug — a face
  16. snap — to click
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. board — a committee
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. perch — the fish
  23. degree — temperature
  24. row — a line

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