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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: pitcher · board · degree · wind · last · toast · content · cabinet

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. degree — from a university
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. content — happy
  11. toast — bread
  12. board — a committee
  13. last — finally
  14. board — to get on
  15. wind — moving air
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. last — to go on
  18. content — the amount
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. last — final

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