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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. net — in sport
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. march — music
  5. snap — to click
  6. rock — a stone
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. rock — music
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. march — the month
  12. degree — temperature
  13. board — a committee
  14. march — the month
  15. board — to get on
  16. net — for catching
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. net — after costs
  21. band — a ring
  22. degree — an amount
  23. band — a music group
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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