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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fall — to drop
  3. sharp — clever
  4. fall — to drop
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. degree — temperature
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. degree — an amount
  9. march — the month
  10. track — a path
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. track — a song
  13. fall — the season
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. degree — from a university
  17. march — music
  18. track — to keep track

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