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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: pitcher · drill · pound · bound · net · ball · degree · tear

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bound — obliged
  5. degree — from a university
  6. net — after costs
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ball — a dance
  9. net — in sport
  10. bound — certain
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ball — a great time
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bound — tied together
  15. net — for catching
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. drill — a practice
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pound — for dogs

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