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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: file · safe · bound · capital · foot · degree · sharp · present

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bound — obliged
  3. file — a tool
  4. degree — an amount
  5. file — a line of people
  6. capital — a city
  7. file — a document
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bound — certain
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bound — tied together
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. present — the time now
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. present — a gift
  17. capital — money
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — a measure
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. present — there
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. safe — out of danger

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