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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chest — a box
  3. board — to get on
  4. pound — a weight
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rash — a series
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. wake — a trail
  9. chest — of your body
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — a committee
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rash — hasty
  16. degree — an amount
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. chest — of your body
  24. swing — to play on

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