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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. rash — hasty
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — a series
  5. firm — decided
  6. track — a song
  7. march — the month
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. net — after costs
  10. degree — from a university
  11. firm — a company
  12. mug — a cup
  13. season — in sport
  14. march — music
  15. degree — an amount
  16. firm — steady
  17. mug — a face
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. degree — temperature
  21. season — of the year
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — in sport

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