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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 116 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. shower — rain
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cap — a lid
  9. degree — from a university
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cap — of ice
  14. board — to get on
  15. bound — certain
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bear — the animal
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pop — soda
  23. bear — the animal
  24. board — a committee

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