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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. mug — to rob
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. scale — size or range
  5. degree — from a university
  6. march — the month
  7. branch — a division
  8. mate — to breed
  9. march — the month
  10. mate — a friend
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mate — a partner
  15. degree — temperature
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. current — happening now
  18. march — music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — a cup
  22. current — electric
  23. degree — an amount
  24. current — of water

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