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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: fine · land · mouse · bay · bat · degree · march · bound

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. fine — all right
  3. march — the month
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. fine — high quality
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. march — music
  9. bound — certain
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. degree — an amount
  17. land — a country
  18. bound — tied together
  19. land — ground
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. march — the month
  24. bound — obliged

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