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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. degree — temperature
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rock — a stone
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. rock — music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. degree — an amount
  9. sharp — clever
  10. board — to get on
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. board — a committee
  14. clip — a video
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. degree — from a university
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for dancing

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