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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. degree — from a university
  3. row — a line
  4. game — a match
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. degree — temperature
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. field — for sport
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. degree — an amount
  13. board — to get on
  14. bark — to shout
  15. field — a subject
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. board — a committee
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. field — farmland
  24. game — wild animals

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