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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 120 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. board — to get on
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. tear — from crying
  5. net — for catching
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. board — a committee
  8. band — a ring
  9. degree — an amount
  10. firm — a company
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. firm — decided
  13. squash — to crush
  14. band — a music group
  15. tear — to rip
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. degree — from a university
  19. firm — steady
  20. net — after costs
  21. squash — the sport
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. degree — temperature
  24. tear — from crying

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