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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: pit · wound · cold · cabinet · dip · craft · board · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. board — a committee
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pit — in a race
  12. craft — boats
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. degree — from a university
  17. cold — not warm
  18. craft — a skill
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. board — to get on
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. dip — to sink

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