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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. present — a gift
  5. march — the month
  6. tube — a container
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mark — a grade
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. tube — the underground
  14. march — music
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. mate — a partner
  20. degree — temperature
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mate — a friend
  23. march — the month
  24. mark — a trace

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