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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: lean · board · degree · bat · object · row · mouse · spell

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. lean — to bend
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. row — a line
  13. spell — magic
  14. row — to paddle
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — an aim
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lean — thin
  24. object — to protest

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