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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. net — in sport
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. net — for catching
  5. mate — a partner
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. kid — child
  10. net — after costs
  11. mate — a friend
  12. season — in sport
  13. board — a committee
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. degree — an amount
  16. season — of the year
  17. shower — to wash
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mate — to breed
  20. date — the fruit
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. degree — temperature
  24. kid — to tease

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