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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. club — for dancing
  3. band — a ring
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — crushed
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. ground — a position
  10. march — the month
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. deal — to handle
  13. march — music
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. club — a group
  16. degree — an amount
  17. ground — the earth
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. roll — a list
  21. degree — from a university
  22. toast — bread
  23. club — for golf
  24. band — a music group

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