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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 120 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: pound · face · mouse · bowl · degree · chair · board · bat

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. face — to point toward
  6. degree — an amount
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. degree — from a university
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pound — a weight
  12. board — to get on
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. board — a committee
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. face — to confront
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. degree — temperature

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