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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. degree — from a university
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — to get on
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. degree — temperature
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rush — hurry
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. net — in sport
  14. board — a committee
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. net — after costs
  18. degree — an amount
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. net — for catching
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. race — humankind
  23. chair — a leader
  24. race — a contest

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