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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 120 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. degree — from a university
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bound — certain
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bound — tied together
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rest — a break
  14. board — to get on
  15. last — to go on
  16. bound — obliged
  17. degree — temperature
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. board — a committee

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