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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. board — to get on
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rash — a series
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wind — moving air
  10. degree — temperature
  11. board — a committee
  12. cue — for pool
  13. degree — from a university
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bore — to tire
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cue — a signal
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bass — low music
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bore — to drill

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