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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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 — the month
  2. file — a line of people
  3. degree — temperature
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. file — a tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. band — a music group
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pass — a permit
  14. degree — an amount
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. file — a document
  19. march — music
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. band — a ring
  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