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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · hand · season · pass · kid · bowl · bound · mouse

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. hand — in cards
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bound — certain
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. season — of the year
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. kid — to tease
  9. hand — help
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bound — tied together
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. kid — child

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