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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. suit — clothes
  3. march — the month
  4. bat — the animal
  5. march — the month
  6. net — for catching
  7. pop — music
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. degree — an amount
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. march — music
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. degree — from a university
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. season — in sport
  20. pop — to visit
  21. suit — to fit
  22. pop — soda
  23. degree — temperature
  24. season — to add flavour

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