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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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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. lean — to bend
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. degree — from a university
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. board — a committee
  9. lean — thin
  10. clip — for paper
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. clip — to cut
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pop — music
  16. pitch — completely
  17. degree — temperature
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. clip — a video
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — to handle
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pop — soda

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