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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: ground · rash · bay · jam · bound · degree · kid · arm

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. degree — an amount
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. degree — temperature
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. degree — from a university
  13. kid — to tease
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rash — a series
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bound — obliged

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