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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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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: bound · bat · degree · board · stand · nail · cabinet · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. degree — an amount
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chest — a box
  7. board — a committee
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bat — the animal
  17. board — to get on
  18. bound — obliged
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. stand — to bear
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cabinet — ministers

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