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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. key — in music
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. drill — the tool
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pop — soda
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. board — to get on
  17. bat — the animal
  18. drill — army training
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. drill — a practice
  22. key — the most important part
  23. degree — an amount
  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