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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. charge — electricity
  3. degree — from a university
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. march — music
  6. branch — a division
  7. plane — a tool
  8. degree — an amount
  9. band — a music group
  10. game — wild animals
  11. suit — in cards
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. game — a match
  14. march — the month
  15. charge — in control
  16. band — a ring
  17. charge — a price
  18. suit — to fit
  19. degree — temperature
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. march — the month
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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