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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. roll — a list
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bound — obliged
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bass — the fish
  13. court — of law
  14. march — the month
  15. court — of a king
  16. march — the month
  17. bound — certain
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — low music
  22. march — music
  23. court — for sport
  24. fan — a supporter

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