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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. saw — the tool
  3. degree — an amount
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. degree — temperature
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. board — to get on
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. board — a committee
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wax — to grow
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. stand — to bear
  24. coach — a trainer

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