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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 124 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. march — the month
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. rest — a break
  6. field — for sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pitch — completely
  9. march — the month
  10. field — farmland
  11. march — music
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rest — what's left
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. field — a subject
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. sharp — clever
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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