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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. degree — from a university
  8. tube — a container
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. fine — all right
  13. ground — the earth
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. board — a committee
  18. degree — an amount
  19. tube — the underground
  20. lean — thin
  21. ground — a position
  22. degree — temperature
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fine — a penalty

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