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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. march — the month
  7. scale — in music
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. deal — to handle
  12. rock — a stone
  13. board — to get on
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. band — a music group
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. board — a committee
  20. band — a ring
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. rock — music
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. scale — size or range

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