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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: last · vault · bound · present · fine · degree · hand · bear

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. bound — tied together
  2. present — a gift
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. vault — a safe
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fine — all right
  9. present — the time now
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. last — final
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bound — certain
  14. last — to go on
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. present — there
  19. last — finally
  20. fine — high quality
  21. degree — an amount
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bound — obliged
  24. degree — from a university

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