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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. board — a committee
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bound — certain
  5. dip — to sink
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bound — tied together
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. degree — an amount
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. swing — in golf
  12. saw — the tool
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. board — to get on
  15. degree — from a university
  16. saw — the tool
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. swing — music
  19. game — a match
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. swing — to play on
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bound — obliged

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