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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. firm — decided
  3. degree — from a university
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. march — music
  6. bank — for money
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. march — the month
  13. degree — temperature
  14. firm — a company
  15. degree — an amount
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. band — a ring
  18. firm — steady
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a music group
  21. bank — of a river
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. march — the month

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