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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cell — a phone
  3. key — the most important part
  4. can — a tin
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cap — a lid
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. can — a tin
  13. board — to get on
  14. degree — temperature
  15. can — to be able to
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cap — of ice
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rash — a series
  20. degree — from a university
  21. key — in music
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. rash — hasty

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