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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ball — a dance
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. board — a committee
  9. degree — from a university
  10. roll — a cake
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — temperature
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. ball — a great time
  17. roll — a list
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. degree — an amount

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