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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. board — a committee
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bound — certain
  7. degree — an amount
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. game — a match
  13. pound — a weight
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bound — obliged
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. roll — a list
  21. degree — temperature
  22. game — wild animals
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. board — to get on

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