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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. shower — rain
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — to bear
  7. march — music
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. shower — to wash
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. march — the month
  20. wax — to grow
  21. degree — temperature
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wax — in the ear

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