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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bank — for money
  3. march — music
  4. game — wild animals
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. staff — employees
  9. bank — of a river
  10. game — a match
  11. march — the month
  12. bound — obliged
  13. march — the month
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. can — a tin
  16. current — electric
  17. bound — certain
  18. bank — for money
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bound — tied together
  22. current — of water
  23. can — a tin
  24. current — happening now

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