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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. degree — temperature
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. swing — in golf
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. degree — from a university
  14. swing — music
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. race — the arms race
  18. degree — an amount
  19. season — in sport
  20. game — a match
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a hole

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