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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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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: degree · pitch · present · board · net · ruler · mark · swing

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. net — after costs
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. swing — to play on
  9. net — for catching
  10. degree — from a university
  11. board — a committee
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. present — the time now
  16. net — in sport
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — music
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. degree — temperature

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