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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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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. board — a committee
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. key — for a lock
  5. degree — from a university
  6. season — in sport
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. snap — to click
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pound — a weight
  15. degree — an amount
  16. season — of the year
  17. bear — the animal
  18. key — in music
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. board — to get on
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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