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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. current — electric
  3. bear — the animal
  4. current — happening now
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. saw — the tool
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. saw — the tool
  10. current — of water
  11. board — a committee
  12. degree — temperature
  13. march — music
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cap — a lid
  17. march — the month
  18. degree — from a university
  19. march — the month
  20. board — to get on
  21. cap — of ice
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. coach — a trainer

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