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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: pass · season · bat · mouse · squash · bound · fan · degree

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. pass — a permit
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bound — certain
  12. squash — to crush
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bound — obliged
  15. degree — from a university
  16. season — of the year
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. season — in sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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