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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. court — of law
  3. current — happening now
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bound — tied together
  9. club — a group
  10. bound — obliged
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. degree — from a university
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. board — a committee
  17. bound — certain
  18. degree — temperature
  19. current — of water
  20. club — for golf
  21. current — electric
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. board — to get on
  24. degree — an amount

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