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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. staff — employees
  3. march — the month
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. degree — from a university
  6. staff — employees
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. field — a subject
  10. branch — a division
  11. sharp — clever
  12. object — an aim
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. field — for sport
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. field — farmland
  17. march — music
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. staff — a stick
  20. object — to protest
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  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