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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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. straw — dry grass
  5. shower — to wash
  6. can — a tin
  7. degree — from a university
  8. spell — a short time
  9. degree — an amount
  10. spell — magic
  11. can — a tin
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. can — to be able to
  15. lean — to bend
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. object — an aim
  18. shower — rain
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. spell — letters
  21. object — a thing
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. object — to protest

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