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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: rush · wave · bore · court · board · mate · degree · rest

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. board — a committee
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bore — to tire
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rest — a break
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bore — to drill
  13. board — to get on
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mate — a partner
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. degree — an amount
  19. court — of a king
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mate — a friend
  24. court — for sport

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