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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. date — the fruit
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pound — a weight
  8. board — to get on
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. degree — temperature
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. clip — for paper
  16. squash — the sport
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. board — a committee
  19. degree — from a university
  20. kick — in football
  21. clip — a video
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. clip — to cut

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