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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ball — a great time
  4. march — the month
  5. mug — to rob
  6. degree — temperature
  7. march — music
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. ball — a dance
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. march — the month
  14. mug — a face
  15. branch — a division
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bear — the animal
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. branch — of a tree

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