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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. craft — boats
  4. degree — temperature
  5. game — a match
  6. march — the month
  7. suit — clothes
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. march — the month
  10. suit — to fit
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. land — to come down
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rest — a break
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. march — music
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. degree — an amount
  21. land — a country
  22. suit — in cards
  23. fork — in a road
  24. land — ground

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