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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bound · toast · foot · bass · sharp · cabinet · wake · degree

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. degree — temperature
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. foot — a measure
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. toast — bread
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bass — low music
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bound — obliged
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bass — the fish
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wake — a trail
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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