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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. board — a committee
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mate — to breed
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. degree — from a university
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. degree — an amount
  21. mate — a friend
  22. board — to get on
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pitcher — a jug

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