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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: object · board · ruler · tube · degree · club · hide · date

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. object — an aim
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. object — to protest
  6. degree — from a university
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. board — a committee
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. club — a group
  17. object — a thing
  18. board — to get on
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. degree — temperature
  23. date — the fruit
  24. degree — an amount

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