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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: board · craft · chair · squash · bay · degree · band · straw

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. board — a committee
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. band — a music group
  9. craft — boats
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. squash — the sport
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. craft — a skill
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. chair — a leader
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. degree — an amount

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