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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: last · racket · bound · pop · stand · ground · fine · degree

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pop — music
  7. bound — tied together
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ground — the earth
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. fine — all right
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pop — soda
  15. last — final
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bound — certain
  19. pop — to visit
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — an amount
  22. last — finally
  23. fine — high quality
  24. ground — a position

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