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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. march — the month
  6. mine — for digging
  7. march — music
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. present — a gift
  12. degree — from a university
  13. present — there
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. march — the month
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. degree — an amount
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. object — a thing
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. present — the time now

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