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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. bear — the animal
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rush — hurry
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — to protest
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. squash — to crush
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. degree — temperature
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. march — the month
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. degree — an amount
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. object — a thing

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