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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: bay · game · nail · board · clip · degree · mine · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. ball — a great time
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. degree — from a university
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. board — to get on
  15. degree — an amount
  16. clip — for paper
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ball — a dance
  19. game — a match
  20. clip — to cut
  21. board — a committee
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. clip — a video

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