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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. degree — from a university
  3. current — happening now
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. spring — a coil
  7. degree — an amount
  8. board — a committee
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. club — for dancing
  12. spring — the season
  13. squash — the sport
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. spring — of water
  16. scale — in music
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. squash — to crush
  20. degree — temperature
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for golf
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bowl — to roll

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