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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bulb — for light
  4. march — music
  5. craft — a skill
  6. degree — an amount
  7. ground — a position
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. ground — crushed
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. march — the month
  15. mate — a partner
  16. craft — boats
  17. bulb — for light
  18. march — the month
  19. mate — a friend
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. ground — the earth
  24. craft — a handicraft

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