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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. toast — bread
  5. degree — from a university
  6. season — in sport
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. race — the arms race
  11. fork — in a road
  12. race — a contest
  13. board — a committee
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. tear — from crying
  16. degree — an amount
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. race — humankind
  19. track — to keep track
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. degree — temperature
  23. season — of the year
  24. fork — to eat with

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