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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bore — to tire
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. degree — an amount
  5. march — the month
  6. swing — in golf
  7. can — a tin
  8. degree — temperature
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. swing — music
  11. can — a tin
  12. track — a song
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. row — to paddle
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bore — to drill
  20. row — a line
  21. degree — from a university
  22. track — to keep track
  23. march — music
  24. track — a path

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