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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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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bulb — for light
  3. key — for a lock
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rock — music
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. march — the month
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. hand — help
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bulb — for light
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rock — a stone
  18. capital — money
  19. degree — from a university
  20. march — the month
  21. capital — a city
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. key — in music
  24. bulb — of a plant

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