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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 · craft · degree · fine · game · fall · foot · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fine — all right
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. game — a match
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bound — certain
  9. march — the month
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. degree — from a university
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. fall — to drop
  18. foot — a measure
  19. fine — high quality
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. march — music
  23. fall — the season
  24. game — wild animals

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