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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. swing — music
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. scale — size or range
  8. degree — from a university
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. swing — to play on
  12. degree — an amount
  13. board — a committee
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. saw — the tool
  19. swing — in golf
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. scale — in music
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — an eyelash

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