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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bat — the animal
  3. board — to get on
  4. prune — to trim
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. chip — to eat
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. object — to protest
  14. rush — hurry
  15. object — a thing
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. prune — to trim
  22. board — a committee
  23. chip — for betting
  24. object — an aim

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