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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. can — a tin
  5. cell — in biology
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. net — after costs
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cell — a phone
  10. fork — in a road
  11. net — in sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. march — the month
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. net — for catching
  20. march — music
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. degree — from a university
  24. leaves — lets stay

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