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

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. degree — temperature
  3. tube — the underground
  4. march — music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. scale — in music
  8. degree — an amount
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. degree — from a university
  11. scale — size or range
  12. club — a group
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. march — the month
  16. lie — to recline
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. dip — to sink
  19. club — for dancing
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. club — for golf
  24. lie — an untruth

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