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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. season — in sport
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. court — of law
  8. rest — a break
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. hand — help
  11. branch — a division
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. march — the month
  17. court — of a king
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. rest — what's left
  20. season — of the year
  21. degree — an amount
  22. hand — in cards
  23. march — the month
  24. court — for sport

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