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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kick · rock · fan · straw · degree · net · board · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ground — crushed
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. degree — from a university
  7. board — a committee
  8. degree — temperature
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. degree — an amount
  13. net — in sport
  14. kick — in football
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ground — the earth
  20. net — for catching
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. net — after costs
  24. rock — to move gently

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