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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ground — crushed
  3. march — music
  4. pass — a permit
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wake — a trail
  7. march — the month
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mug — a face
  10. march — the month
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mug — to rob
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. ground — the earth
  16. fine — high quality
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. file — a tool
  20. fine — all right
  21. degree — an amount
  22. ground — a position
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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