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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. board — a committee
  3. scale — in music
  4. fall — to drop
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. degree — an amount
  8. firm — decided
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fall — to drop
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. degree — from a university
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. cell — in biology
  16. fall — the season
  17. board — to get on
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cell — a phone
  21. scale — size or range
  22. degree — temperature
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. firm — steady

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