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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 124 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. degree — an amount
  3. board — to get on
  4. suit — to fit
  5. board — a committee
  6. hand — help
  7. kid — child
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. suit — clothes
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. suit — in cards
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — from a university

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