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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. degree — from a university
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pass — a permit
  8. degree — an amount
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. hand — in cards
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. hand — help
  24. degree — temperature

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