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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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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: kid · bound · object · cell · cue · plane · present · degree

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. object — a thing
  3. bound — certain
  4. degree — from a university
  5. present — the time now
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — a phone
  8. object — an aim
  9. cue — a signal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. present — a gift
  12. bound — obliged
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. plane — a tool
  15. kid — child
  16. present — there
  17. cue — for pool
  18. object — to protest
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cue — a hint
  22. degree — temperature
  23. kid — to tease
  24. degree — an amount

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