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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. board — to get on
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. degree — an amount
  8. present — a gift
  9. pass — a permit
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. present — the time now
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. board — a committee
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. band — a music group
  23. present — there
  24. dip — to sink

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