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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: cell · degree · bear · pass · snap · key · court · bound

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. snap — to click
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bear — the animal
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pass — a permit
  10. cell — in biology
  11. court — of a king
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. degree — an amount
  16. key — in music
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. court — of law
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bound — obliged
  23. key — the most important part
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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