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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. degree — temperature
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. degree — an amount
  6. sharp — clever
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ball — a dance
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. ball — a great time
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. present — there
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. present — the time now
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. degree — from a university
  20. content — the amount
  21. present — a gift
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. content — happy
  24. sharp — exactly

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