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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. cap — a hat
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. board — to get on
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. degree — an amount
  10. snap — to click
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. board — a committee
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. hand — in cards
  16. game — wild animals
  17. hand — help
  18. degree — temperature
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cap — of ice
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. game — a match
  23. cap — a lid
  24. degree — from a university

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