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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. spell — a short time
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — to get on
  5. swing — to play on
  6. degree — from a university
  7. kick — in football
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rest — what's left
  10. branch — a division
  11. swing — music
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. root — the cause
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. rest — what's left
  19. degree — temperature
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rest — a break
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. kick — with a leg

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