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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mark — a trace
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. degree — from a university
  7. date — the fruit
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mark — a grade
  14. scale — in music
  15. deal — to handle
  16. prune — to trim
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. prune — to trim
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rest — what's left
  24. degree — an amount

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