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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 116 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. march — the month
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. cell — in biology
  6. object — a thing
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. stock — shares
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — to protest
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stock — goods
  17. degree — from a university
  18. march — the month
  19. degree — an amount
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. march — music
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cell — a phone
  24. fan — to cool the air

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