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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. fine — high quality
  3. object — an aim
  4. court — of law
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cell — a phone
  7. ground — the earth
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. ground — a position
  12. cell — in biology
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. court — of a king
  16. board — to get on
  17. court — for sport
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. object — a thing
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. fine — all right
  22. prune — to trim
  23. degree — temperature
  24. object — to protest

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