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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. march — the month
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. degree — from a university
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bat — the animal
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mark — a grade
  22. march — music
  23. mark — a trace
  24. swing — in golf

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