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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 120 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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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: degree · bound · drill · saw · foot · bowl · can · row

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bound — obliged
  10. can — to be able to
  11. drill — a practice
  12. saw — the tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. degree — temperature
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. row — a line
  19. degree — an amount
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. can — a tin
  24. drill — army training

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