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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. season — in sport
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. firm — steady
  5. degree — from a university
  6. firm — decided
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. degree — temperature
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wind — moving air
  14. capital — a city
  15. firm — a company
  16. march — the month
  17. mug — a face
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. capital — money
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wind — moving air
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. season — of the year

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