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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. degree — from a university
  3. club — for golf
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. march — the month
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. march — music
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. club — a group
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. craft — a skill
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. degree — temperature
  22. craft — boats
  23. perch — the fish
  24. club — for dancing

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