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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wake — a trail
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. can — a tin
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mark — a grade
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bound — certain
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. can — a tin

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