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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rock — a stone
  3. band — a ring
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rock — music
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. degree — temperature
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a committee
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. hide — to keep secret

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