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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: band · pass · game · foot · degree · squash · pitcher · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. foot — a measure
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. degree — an amount
  5. squash — the sport
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. degree — temperature
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. game — wild animals
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. game — a match
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bound — obliged
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bound — tied together
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. band — a music group
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. degree — from a university

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