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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. board — a committee
  10. degree — an amount
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. march — music
  13. mine — for digging
  14. object — an aim
  15. march — the month
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. march — the month
  20. board — to get on
  21. scale — size or range
  22. degree — from a university
  23. scale — in music
  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