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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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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: coach · rock · degree · bound · drill · pitch · firm · wound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. degree — an amount
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. firm — decided
  5. degree — temperature
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. firm — a company
  9. rock — music
  10. firm — steady
  11. degree — from a university
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bound — certain
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. drill — army training
  16. bound — tied together
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — completely
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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