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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: bay · mark · rock · cell · fan · snap · bound · degree

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rock — a stone
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. rock — music
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bound — certain
  23. cell — a phone
  24. degree — from a university

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