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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. degree — from a university
  3. capital — a city
  4. bore — to tire
  5. degree — temperature
  6. board — to get on
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bore — to drill
  11. face — part of the head
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. board — a committee
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. ball — a great time
  17. face — to confront
  18. degree — an amount
  19. ball — a dance
  20. face — to point toward
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. capital — money
  24. foot — a measure

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