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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: mug · field · squash · deal · sharp · degree · cabinet · bound

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bound — tied together
  5. deal — to handle
  6. squash — the sport
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mug — a face
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mug — a cup
  13. field — a subject
  14. squash — to crush
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. field — for sport
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bound — certain
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. field — farmland
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cabinet — ministers

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