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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cap — a lid
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fall — to drop
  10. last — final
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rash — a series
  13. fall — to drop
  14. board — a committee
  15. degree — temperature
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cap — of ice
  18. scale — in music
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fall — the season

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