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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: stick · board · sharp · hide · present · degree · kick · race

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. degree — from a university
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kick — in football
  5. degree — temperature
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. present — a gift
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. board — to get on
  15. race — a contest
  16. present — there
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. degree — an amount
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. board — a committee
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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