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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bank — for money
  4. degree — temperature
  5. perch — the fish
  6. craft — boats
  7. march — music
  8. bank — for money
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bank — of a river
  13. march — the month
  14. sharp — clever
  15. season — of the year
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. degree — an amount
  18. season — in sport
  19. degree — from a university
  20. chair — a leader
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. craft — a handicraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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