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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. suit — to fit
  3. degree — an amount
  4. content — happy
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. content — the amount
  10. suit — in cards
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wake — a trail
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. board — a committee
  16. suit — clothes
  17. board — to get on
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bat — the animal
  20. degree — from a university
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. ball — a great 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