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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fall — the season
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. fall — to drop
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. march — the month
  11. fall — to drop
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mate — a friend
  14. scale — size or range
  15. content — happy
  16. scale — in music
  17. firm — steady
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. firm — a company
  20. content — the amount
  21. march — music
  22. firm — decided
  23. degree — from a university
  24. coach — a trainer

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