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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: pass · arm · board · tear · cap · degree · game · bay

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. game — wild animals
  9. degree — an amount
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cap — a hat
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pass — a permit
  17. tear — from crying
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. cap — a lid
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. board — a committee
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. game — a match

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