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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. board — a committee
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. degree — an amount
  7. court — of a king
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. craft — a skill
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. craft — boats
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. degree — temperature
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wake — a trail
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. board — a flat piece

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