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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. degree — an amount
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. degree — from a university
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. degree — temperature
  16. board — to get on
  17. key — the most important part
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. plane — a tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. key — in music

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