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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. degree — an amount
  3. board — a committee
  4. bank — for money
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. face — to point toward
  7. board — to get on
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. face — to confront
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bank — for money
  18. face — part of the head
  19. degree — temperature
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bank — of a river
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rash — a series

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