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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. degree — temperature
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rest — a break
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rest — what's left
  7. content — happy
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. firm — steady
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. firm — a company
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. march — the month
  17. degree — an amount
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. content — the amount
  21. firm — decided
  22. march — music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rest — what's left

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