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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: spell · kid · leaves · degree · bound · court · chip · mate

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. chip — to eat
  7. mate — a friend
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. court — of law
  10. spell — a short time
  11. chip — for betting
  12. kid — child
  13. bound — certain
  14. court — of a king
  15. spell — letters
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mate — a partner
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. kid — to tease
  21. mate — to breed
  22. spell — magic
  23. court — for sport
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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