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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: mark · band · bowl · fine · land · deal · degree · club

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. club — for dancing
  5. band — a music group
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. mark — a grade
  8. club — a group
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. fine — high quality
  14. land — ground
  15. mark — a trace
  16. land — a country
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. land — to come down
  20. degree — from a university
  21. band — a ring
  22. club — for golf
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. fine — all right

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