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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 116 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: degree · content · rule · track · patient · bound · mine · pitcher

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bound — tied together
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rule — a law
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. degree — an amount
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. track — a path
  14. bound — certain
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rule — government
  17. content — happy
  18. mine — for digging
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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