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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pass — a permit
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lean — to bend
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. degree — an amount
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. degree — temperature
  11. march — the month
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. club — a group
  15. ball — a great time
  16. club — for dancing
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. club — for golf
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lean — thin
  23. mine — for digging
  24. degree — from a university

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