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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 120 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: degree · snap · clip · present · bound · object · land · mate

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mate — a partner
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bound — tied together
  6. land — to come down
  7. clip — to cut
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mate — to breed
  11. snap — to click
  12. present — a gift
  13. land — ground
  14. object — an aim
  15. degree — from a university
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. land — a country
  18. clip — a video
  19. present — there
  20. mate — a friend
  21. clip — for paper
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — a thing
  24. bound — certain

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