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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. net — in sport
  3. board — a committee
  4. clip — a video
  5. net — after costs
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rush — hurry
  12. key — the most important part
  13. clip — to cut
  14. lean — to bend
  15. net — for catching
  16. key — in music
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a grade
  21. clip — for paper
  22. lean — thin
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. mark — a trace

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