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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: key · bay · fan · sharp · degree · chest · bound · mug

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. mug — a cup
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mug — to rob
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. degree — temperature
  8. key — in music
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mug — a face
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. key — for a lock
  21. chest — a box
  22. key — the most important part
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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