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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. clip — for paper
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. deal — to handle
  7. degree — an amount
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spell — letters
  12. degree — temperature
  13. march — the month
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. clip — a video
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. clip — to cut
  21. degree — from a university
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. march — the month

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