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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. board — a committee
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. spell — letters
  5. court — for sport
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. can — a tin
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. court — of law
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. spell — magic
  16. court — of a king
  17. board — to get on
  18. degree — temperature
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rock — music
  22. degree — from a university
  23. spell — a short time
  24. rock — a stone

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