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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: squash · snap · drill · degree · cap · season · board · rest

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cap — a lid
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. degree — an amount
  7. board — to get on
  8. cap — a hat
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. snap — to click
  20. degree — temperature
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rest — what's left
  23. season — of the year
  24. drill — army training

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