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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. capital — money
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. object — an aim
  5. board — a committee
  6. degree — from a university
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. stem — to come from
  9. chip — for betting
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. object — a thing
  15. capital — a city
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. last — final
  19. perch — the fish
  20. chip — to eat
  21. object — to protest
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. degree — an amount

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