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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. spell — letters
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spell — magic
  11. snap — to click
  12. spell — a short time
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fork — in a road
  17. degree — from a university
  18. board — to get on
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. fork — to eat with

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