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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. cue — a signal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. degree — an amount
  6. object — a thing
  7. face — to confront
  8. cue — for pool
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. mine — for digging
  12. face — part of the head
  13. content — the amount
  14. board — a committee
  15. degree — from a university
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — an aim
  18. content — happy
  19. degree — temperature
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. mouse — for a computer

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