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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · chest · deal · cabinet · rest · degree

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rest — a break
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. board — to get on
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rest — what's left
  11. degree — an amount
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. board — a committee
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. degree — from a university
  17. deal — to handle
  18. chest — of your body

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