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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: bowl · mate · sharp · root · degree · net · swing · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mate — a friend
  5. net — after costs
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bound — certain
  8. degree — an amount
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bound — tied together
  13. degree — from a university
  14. swing — in golf
  15. root — the cause
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. swing — music
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. mate — a partner
  21. sharp — clever
  22. root — of a word
  23. degree — temperature
  24. swing — to play on

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