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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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468
Word bank
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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. chest — a box
  4. board — a committee
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — to bear
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — in football
  11. chest — of your body
  12. craft — boats
  13. degree — temperature
  14. tube — a container
  15. board — to get on
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. tube — the underground
  18. fork — in a road
  19. chest — of your body
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. craft — a skill
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. degree — from a university

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