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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: kid · degree · jam · present · firm · mouse · bound · chest

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. degree — temperature
  3. present — there
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. degree — an amount
  7. firm — decided
  8. bound — certain
  9. kid — to tease
  10. degree — from a university
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. firm — a company
  14. bound — obliged
  15. chest — of your body
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. firm — steady
  20. present — the time now
  21. kid — child
  22. chest — a box
  23. bound — tied together
  24. present — a gift

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