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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
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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: hide · degree · file · board · date · roll · net · wind

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wind — moving air
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. roll — a list
  8. wind — moving air
  9. net — after costs
  10. board — to get on
  11. file — a tool
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. degree — an amount
  15. net — in sport
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — from a university
  18. net — for catching
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. roll — a cake
  22. file — a document
  23. date — the fruit
  24. hide — animal skin

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