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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: rock · degree · drill · chip · snap · chair · season · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. chip — to eat
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bound — obliged
  8. drill — a practice
  9. snap — to click
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. drill — army training
  13. bound — certain
  14. degree — an amount
  15. drill — the tool
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rock — music
  18. season — in sport
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rock — a stone
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. degree — temperature
  23. season — of the year
  24. chip — for betting

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