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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kid — to tease
  3. degree — an amount
  4. march — the month
  5. kid — child
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. board — a committee
  11. bass — the fish
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. board — to get on
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. march — music
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bass — low music

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