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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 ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. march — the month
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. march — the month
  5. degree — temperature
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mate — a partner
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — in football
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tear — from crying
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. mate — to breed
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. tear — to rip
  20. degree — from a university
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. march — music
  24. mate — a friend

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