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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. suit — to fit
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. suit — clothes
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. march — the month
  15. track — a song
  16. band — a music group
  17. degree — an amount
  18. suit — in cards
  19. degree — temperature
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. band — a ring

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