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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fine — high quality
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. degree — temperature
  6. board — a committee
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. court — for sport
  10. fine — all right
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. court — of a king
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. court — of law
  18. game — wild animals
  19. tube — a container
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. degree — from a university
  23. tube — the underground
  24. board — to get on

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