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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. degree — an amount
  3. race — humankind
  4. chest — of your body
  5. net — after costs
  6. degree — temperature
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — in cards
  10. race — a contest
  11. present — there
  12. net — for catching
  13. present — a gift
  14. march — the month
  15. race — the arms race
  16. present — the time now
  17. net — in sport
  18. chest — a box
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. chest — of your body
  23. march — the month
  24. degree — from a university

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