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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. firm — decided
  4. march — the month
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. march — music
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. degree — an amount
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. capital — a city
  14. bark — to shout
  15. firm — a company
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. firm — steady
  18. rash — hasty
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rash — a series
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mark — a grade
  23. capital — money
  24. mark — a trace

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