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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. face — part of the head
  3. degree — an amount
  4. row — a line
  5. degree — temperature
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. face — to confront
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. board — a committee
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. row — to paddle
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. season — in sport
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. degree — from a university
  22. face — to point toward
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. jam — a tight spot

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