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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. board — to get on
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. face — to confront
  9. march — the month
  10. degree — an amount
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. degree — temperature
  14. board — a committee
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. march — music
  18. degree — from a university
  19. face — part of the head
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. march — the month
  22. craft — a skill
  23. cell — a phone
  24. face — to point toward

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