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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rule — government
  3. pop — to visit
  4. sharp — clever
  5. present — a gift
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. current — happening now
  8. march — the month
  9. present — the time now
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rule — a law
  12. degree — temperature
  13. current — of water
  14. ground — a position
  15. degree — from a university
  16. current — electric
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. march — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. ground — crushed
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. present — there
  24. degree — an amount

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