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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. march — the month
  2. stock — shares
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. degree — an amount
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. kid — to tease
  9. degree — from a university
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. march — the month
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — a permit
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. kid — child
  21. degree — temperature
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. stock — goods
  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