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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. key — in music
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pop — music
  6. bound — certain
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pop — to visit
  12. row — a line
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pop — soda
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. march — the month
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. fall — the season
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. march — the month
  22. key — for a lock
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fall — to drop

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