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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: degree · capital · court · coach · bore · bound · safe · chip

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. degree — temperature
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. bound — obliged
  7. chip — for betting
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bore — to tire
  10. chip — to eat
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. court — of law
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bound — tied together
  19. capital — a city
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. capital — money
  23. bound — certain
  24. bore — to drill

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