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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. board — a committee
  4. degree — temperature
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. degree — an amount
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. snap — to click
  9. cell — a phone
  10. board — to get on
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wake — a trail
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cell — in biology
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mug — a face

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