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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pop — soda
  3. march — the month
  4. staff — employees
  5. pop — to visit
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bank — for money
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. march — music
  13. degree — an amount
  14. field — a subject
  15. march — the month
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. staff — employees
  18. field — for sport
  19. staff — a stick
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pop — music
  22. rash — hasty
  23. field — farmland
  24. rash — a series

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