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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. degree — temperature
  3. board — a committee
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. fall — the season
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pass — a permit
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bat — the animal
  11. spring — the season
  12. rush — hurry
  13. degree — an amount
  14. field — a subject
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. field — for sport
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spring — of water
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. field — farmland
  24. pass — to spend time

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