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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. board — to get on
  5. club — for golf
  6. degree — temperature
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rush — hurry
  10. pit — in a race
  11. ground — the earth
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pit — a hole
  14. game — wild animals
  15. club — a group
  16. perch — the fish
  17. game — a match
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. board — a committee
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. degree — from a university
  23. ground — a position
  24. club — for dancing

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