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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. degree — an amount
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. board — a committee
  6. squash — the sport
  7. board — to get on
  8. lean — to bend
  9. degree — temperature
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. degree — from a university
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. squash — to crush
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wax — to grow
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. lean — thin

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