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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: clip · deal · season · degree · fine · bound · can · roll

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. season — in sport
  3. degree — temperature
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. degree — from a university
  7. roll — a list
  8. deal — to handle
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bound — tied together
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. can — a tin
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. degree — an amount
  16. can — a tin
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bound — certain
  21. roll — a cake
  22. clip — a video
  23. bound — obliged
  24. deal — an agreement

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