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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mark — a trace
  3. degree — from a university
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. branch — a division
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. dip — to sink
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mark — a grade
  24. row — to paddle

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