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

Word bank: bound · bowl · degree · fine · board · bass · bay · last

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. board — to get on
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bound — tied together
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fine — all right
  10. last — final
  11. board — a committee
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. bass — low music
  18. last — to go on
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. last — finally
  23. fine — high quality
  24. bass — the fish

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