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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 120 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: pitch · degree · chip · mug · bound · key · band · land

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. pitch — completely
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bound — certain
  6. chip — for betting
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — a face
  12. band — a ring
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. land — to come down
  16. degree — temperature
  17. key — for a lock
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. mug — to rob
  21. key — in music
  22. band — a music group
  23. degree — from a university
  24. chip — to eat

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