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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. can — to be able to
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cell — a phone
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. can — a tin
  7. suit — to fit
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. degree — temperature
  10. march — the month
  11. can — a tin
  12. degree — an amount
  13. march — music
  14. mug — to rob
  15. file — a document
  16. mug — a face
  17. file — a line of people
  18. ball — a great time
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cell — in biology
  21. ball — a dance
  22. suit — in cards
  23. file — a tool
  24. mug — a cup

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