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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. degree — an amount
  6. roll — a cake
  7. board — to get on
  8. roll — a list
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. board — a committee
  16. game — wild animals
  17. degree — from a university
  18. craft — a skill
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. game — a match
  22. craft — boats
  23. branch — a division
  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