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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. march — music
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wound — an injury
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. march — the month
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — decided
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. branch — a division
  21. firm — steady
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. march — the month

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