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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. ground — the earth
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. last — to go on
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — a committee
  11. degree — an amount
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. row — to paddle
  15. degree — from a university
  16. ground — a position
  17. deal — to handle
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. row — a line
  20. craft — boats
  21. degree — temperature
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. ground — crushed

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