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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. march — the month
  4. degree — from a university
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. scale — size or range
  10. row — a line
  11. game — a match
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. row — to paddle
  15. degree — an amount
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. degree — temperature
  18. can — to be able to
  19. march — the month
  20. bear — the animal
  21. march — music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. scale — in music
  24. row — a quarrel

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