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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mark — a grade
  4. degree — from a university
  5. hand — help
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. degree — temperature
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. board — a committee
  12. rock — music
  13. net — after costs
  14. rush — hurry
  15. board — to get on
  16. mark — a trace
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. hand — in cards
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. board — a flat piece

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