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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: degree · board · clip · racket · fine · rule · snap · wax

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. clip — to cut
  9. fine — all right
  10. wax — to grow
  11. board — to get on
  12. degree — an amount
  13. snap — to click
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. degree — from a university
  21. clip — a video
  22. fine — high quality
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wax — in the ear

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