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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 116 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. file — a line of people
  4. ball — a great time
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rule — a law
  7. pop — music
  8. board — to get on
  9. rule — government
  10. squash — to crush
  11. ball — a dance
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pop — soda
  14. board — a committee
  15. deal — to handle
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pop — to visit
  20. file — a tool
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. file — a document
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. board — a flat piece

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