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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.

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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: squash · suit · shower · ground · bound · game · pitcher · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. bound — certain
  3. degree — temperature
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bound — obliged
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. squash — to crush
  9. game — a match
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. suit — in cards
  13. ground — a position
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. suit — to fit
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. shower — to wash
  18. suit — clothes
  19. ground — crushed
  20. shower — rain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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