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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.

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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 · game · bear · degree · pop · dip · ball · fall

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pop — music
  4. degree — temperature
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. bear — the animal
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. fall — the season
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bound — tied together
  14. dip — to sink
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bound — certain
  19. game — a match
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fall — to drop
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bound — obliged

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