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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 116 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. craft — boats
  3. pass — a permit
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. march — music
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. track — a song
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. march — the month
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. march — the month
  15. bark — to shout
  16. track — to keep track
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rash — a series
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. degree — from a university
  21. track — a path
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

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