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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 124 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. firm — decided
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. board — to get on
  8. net — in sport
  9. firm — steady
  10. craft — boats
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. craft — a skill
  15. roll — a list
  16. degree — an amount
  17. court — of a king
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. firm — a company
  20. roll — a cake
  21. swing — music
  22. board — a committee
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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