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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: key · degree · mine · board · craft · roll · stand · mug

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — to bear
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. roll — a cake
  13. key — in music
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mine — for digging
  20. roll — a list
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. board — to get on

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