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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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Word bank
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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: pit · degree · sharp · rash · hide · band · wound · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wound — an injury
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. rash — a series
  12. pit — a hole
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. degree — an amount
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. board — a committee
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wound — an injury
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. rash — hasty

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