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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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 — music
  2. object — to protest
  3. cap — a lid
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. march — the month
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mate — a partner
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mate — to breed
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. object — an aim
  15. cap — a hat
  16. march — the month
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. object — a thing
  21. cap — of ice
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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