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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 120 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. board — to get on
  5. stock — shares
  6. branch — a division
  7. snap — to click
  8. bound — certain
  9. board — a committee
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bound — tied together
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stock — goods
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. degree — an amount
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bound — obliged
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bowl — to roll

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