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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: plane · mug · bat · degree · rush · present · bound · rest

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bound — certain
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. mug — to rob
  6. rush — hurry
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. rest — a break
  9. mug — a face
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mug — a cup
  18. present — the time now
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bound — obliged
  22. present — a gift
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bat — in an idiom

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