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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. degree — temperature
  3. suit — in cards
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. degree — from a university
  6. band — a ring
  7. season — of the year
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. suit — clothes
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. band — a music group
  12. suit — to fit
  13. rest — what's left
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. board — a committee
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. board — to get on
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. degree — an amount

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