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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: rock · last · scale · bound · stand · mate · pitcher · degree

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bound — tied together
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bound — obliged
  6. degree — from a university
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — to bear
  9. last — to go on
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mate — a friend
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rock — a stone
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bound — certain
  19. mate — a partner
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. mate — to breed
  23. scale — in music
  24. degree — temperature

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