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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. cap — a hat
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bore — to drill
  7. face — to confront
  8. spell — magic
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bore — to tire
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. face — to point toward
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. cap — a lid
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cap — of ice
  20. face — part of the head
  21. degree — an amount
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. leaves — of a tree

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