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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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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 · toast · race · foot · roll · degree · bank · kid

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bank — of a river
  3. race — the arms race
  4. foot — a measure
  5. race — humankind
  6. bound — certain
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bank — for money
  9. roll — a list
  10. toast — bread
  11. bank — for money
  12. bound — obliged
  13. degree — from a university
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. roll — a cake
  16. degree — temperature
  17. kid — child
  18. race — a contest
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. kid — to tease
  24. degree — an amount

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