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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. squash — to crush
  5. march — the month
  6. kick — in football
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mark — a grade
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. march — music
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mark — a trace
  17. squash — the sport
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. degree — temperature
  20. march — the month
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. rest — a break

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