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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: degree · spell · press · bound · last · cell · mark · pitcher

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. spell — letters
  8. degree — an amount
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. cell — a phone
  13. press — newspapers
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bound — certain
  17. mark — a trace
  18. press — to push
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cell — in biology
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. press — a publisher

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