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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bay · arm · club · degree · pop · ball · bound · file

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bound — obliged
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pop — to visit
  5. club — for dancing
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. club — a group
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. ball — a dance
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. degree — temperature
  20. club — for golf
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. degree — an amount

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