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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 120 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: lean · chest · sharp · spell · board · pit · degree · object

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. lean — thin
  3. spell — letters
  4. pit — in a race
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pit — a hole
  7. degree — from a university
  8. spell — a short time
  9. chest — of your body
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. spell — magic
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. board — to get on
  15. chest — a box
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lean — to bend
  18. chest — of your body
  19. object — an aim
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — to protest
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. sharp — with an edge

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