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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bank — for money
  4. board — a committee
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bank — of a river
  8. rock — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rock — a stone
  15. file — a document
  16. bank — for money
  17. rest — what's left
  18. file — a tool
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. chest — of your body
  22. board — to get on
  23. degree — temperature
  24. last — final

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