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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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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 · last · bat · bank · bowl · bound · content · suit

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bound — obliged
  4. last — finally
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. content — happy
  8. bat — the animal
  9. suit — to fit
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bound — certain
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. last — final
  18. degree — temperature
  19. last — to go on
  20. suit — clothes
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bank — for money
  23. content — the amount
  24. bank — for money

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