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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. degree — an amount
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. charge — a price
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. charge — in control
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bound — tied together
  14. degree — from a university
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bound — certain
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. season — in sport
  19. degree — temperature
  20. season — of the year
  21. board — a committee
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. board — to get on
  24. bound — obliged

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