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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. march — music
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. degree — an amount
  5. present — a gift
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. swing — music
  10. present — there
  11. march — the month
  12. swing — in golf
  13. row — to paddle
  14. present — the time now
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. stock — shares
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. swing — to play on
  21. stock — goods
  22. pit — a hole
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. march — the month

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