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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. last — to go on
  5. bound — tied together
  6. board — a committee
  7. last — final
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. board — to get on
  10. press — newspapers
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wake — a trail
  13. press — to push
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. degree — from a university
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bound — certain
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. press — a publisher
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bound — obliged
  24. degree — an amount

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