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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mate — to breed
  4. present — a gift
  5. board — a committee
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. scale — size or range
  10. degree — an amount
  11. present — the time now
  12. bat — the animal
  13. board — to get on
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. scale — in music
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stand — to bear
  23. present — there
  24. board — a flat piece

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