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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · bound · degree · march · mine · pass · bear · dip

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bound — obliged
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bear — the animal
  15. march — music
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. march — the month
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. chair — a leader
  23. march — the month
  24. mine — an explosive

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