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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wound — an injury
  3. land — ground
  4. wound — an injury
  5. can — to be able to
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. land — a country
  8. degree — temperature
  9. can — a tin
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. object — a thing
  14. can — a tin
  15. board — to get on
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. degree — an amount
  18. land — to come down
  19. object — to protest
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. board — a committee
  23. object — an aim
  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