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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: bound · firm · pitch · degree · fork · coach · board · scale

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. scale — in music
  5. firm — steady
  6. degree — an amount
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. firm — decided
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. board — a committee
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitch — completely
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fork — in a road
  21. scale — size or range
  22. firm — a company
  23. degree — temperature
  24. board — to get on

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