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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. capital — money
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. game — wild animals
  6. march — the month
  7. vault — a safe
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. game — a match
  13. degree — temperature
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. board — to get on
  16. bore — to drill
  17. degree — an amount
  18. capital — a city
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — to tire
  21. degree — from a university
  22. perch — the fish
  23. march — music
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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