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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. roll — a list
  3. object — an aim
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. degree — temperature
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wake — a trail
  9. degree — from a university
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. object — to protest
  12. board — a committee
  13. roll — a cake
  14. lean — thin
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. hand — in cards
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. object — a thing
  22. lean — to bend
  23. board — to get on
  24. hand — help

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