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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. degree — an amount
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. face — part of the head
  7. spell — letters
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. degree — temperature
  10. board — a committee
  11. wound — an injury
  12. degree — from a university
  13. face — to point toward
  14. net — in sport
  15. face — to confront
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. net — after costs
  19. board — to get on
  20. net — for catching
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. spell — a short time
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. spell — magic

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