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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. fall — to drop
  6. degree — temperature
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. board — to get on
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fall — to drop
  12. deal — to handle
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. degree — an amount
  15. band — a music group
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. fall — the season
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. board — a committee
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. band — a ring
  24. deal — an agreement

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