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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — music
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. swing — to play on
  9. foot — a measure
  10. can — a tin
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bound — certain
  13. tube — a container
  14. degree — an amount
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. tube — the underground
  19. degree — temperature
  20. can — a tin
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. can — to be able to
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. march — music

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