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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: present · temple · hand · pop · field · bound · degree · date

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pop — music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. field — for sport
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bound — tied together
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bound — certain
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pop — soda
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. pop — to visit
  19. present — a gift
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. degree — temperature
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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