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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mate — to breed
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rock — a stone
  6. field — farmland
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mate — a partner
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. board — a committee
  11. season — in sport
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. rock — music
  14. field — a subject
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. board — to get on
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. mate — a friend
  20. field — for sport
  21. degree — an amount
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. season — of the year
  24. kick — a thrill

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