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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. march — the month
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. degree — an amount
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — a committee
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pitch — completely
  13. degree — from a university
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. last — to go on
  19. board — to get on
  20. last — final
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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