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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: game · degree · jam · calf · tube · mate · bound · object

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mate — a friend
  3. object — a thing
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mate — to breed
  6. degree — temperature
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bound — certain
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. degree — from a university
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. mate — a partner
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. tube — a container
  19. game — a match
  20. degree — an amount
  21. object — to protest
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. object — an aim

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