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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. board — a flat piece
  2. degree — an amount
  3. lean — to bend
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mine — for digging
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. key — in music
  9. degree — temperature
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. key — for a lock
  14. degree — from a university
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. lean — thin
  17. board — a committee
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mine — an explosive
  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