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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 124 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wake — a trail
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bear — the animal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bear — the animal
  14. game — a match
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pound — a weight
  18. season — of the year
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. board — to get on
  22. season — in sport
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pound — to hit hard

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