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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 120 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. degree — an amount
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. board — to get on
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wake — a trail
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. degree — temperature
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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