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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. board — to get on
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wound — an injury
  7. club — for golf
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. race — humankind
  10. club — a group
  11. race — the arms race
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rock — music
  15. race — a contest
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. degree — an amount
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. board — a committee
  24. saw — the tool

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