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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. degree — from a university
  4. march — music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. suit — clothes
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. court — of a king
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. court — of law
  13. roll — a cake
  14. suit — in cards
  15. degree — an amount
  16. suit — to fit
  17. roll — a list
  18. degree — temperature
  19. march — the month
  20. court — for sport
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  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