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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pound — a weight
  3. firm — decided
  4. degree — from a university
  5. march — the month
  6. firm — steady
  7. net — in sport
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. firm — a company
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. degree — an amount
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rush — hurry
  16. net — for catching
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. net — after costs
  19. ball — a dance
  20. march — music
  21. ball — a great time
  22. march — the month
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ball — a round shape

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