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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: bound · pitch · degree · ball · hand · drill · fine · track

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. drill — a practice
  3. track — a song
  4. drill — army training
  5. bound — certain
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. degree — an amount
  9. hand — help
  10. bound — obliged
  11. drill — the tool
  12. degree — from a university
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bound — tied together
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pitch — completely
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. track — a path
  21. fine — all right
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. degree — temperature

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