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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. club — for golf
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. club — a group
  6. shower — rain
  7. track — to keep track
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pitch — completely
  15. board — to get on
  16. track — a path
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. club — for dancing
  19. track — a song
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. shower — to wash
  23. prune — to trim
  24. board — a committee

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