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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 120 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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. pop — to visit
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. degree — temperature
  6. root — of a plant
  7. file — a line of people
  8. season — of the year
  9. vault — a safe
  10. pop — music
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. season — in sport
  14. root — the cause
  15. file — a document
  16. degree — from a university
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. root — of a word
  20. file — a tool
  21. degree — an amount
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pop — soda
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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