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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bound — tied together
  3. degree — an amount
  4. board — a committee
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. key — in music
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. degree — temperature
  9. key — for a lock
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mark — a grade
  15. stock — goods
  16. key — the most important part
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bound — obliged
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bound — certain
  21. mark — a trace
  22. board — to get on
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fan — a supporter

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