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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. fall — the season
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mark — a grade
  7. fall — to drop
  8. march — the month
  9. mark — a trace
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bear — the animal
  20. degree — an amount
  21. march — the month
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. mark — to pay attention

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