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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: board · squash · rush · nail · kick · ball · fine · degree

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. fine — all right
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. squash — to crush
  5. ball — a dance
  6. degree — an amount
  7. board — a committee
  8. rush — hurry
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. squash — the sport
  17. kick — in football
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. board — to get on
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. degree — from a university
  23. fine — high quality
  24. squash — the vegetable

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