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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 120 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. current — happening now
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. march — the month
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. shower — rain
  12. current — electric
  13. degree — from a university
  14. march — the month
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. lie — to recline
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rule — government
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. current — of water
  24. coach — a trainer

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