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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wound — an injury
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. land — to come down
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. march — the month
  12. land — a country
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — music
  16. land — ground
  17. mate — to breed
  18. snap — to click
  19. can — to be able to
  20. march — the month
  21. can — a tin
  22. wound — an injury
  23. can — a tin
  24. mate — a friend

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