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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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468
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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mate — a partner
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. craft — a skill
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mate — to breed
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rule — a law
  21. degree — from a university
  22. craft — boats
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rule — government

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