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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. board — to get on
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. degree — temperature
  8. craft — boats
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — for a lock
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. rash — a series
  14. bat — the animal
  15. key — in music
  16. craft — a skill
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rash — hasty
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. stand — to bear
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. degree — an amount

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