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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 120 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fine — all right
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. snap — to click
  8. staff — employees
  9. stand — to bear
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. lie — to recline
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. fine — high quality
  15. march — music
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. degree — from a university
  18. staff — employees
  19. march — the month
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. degree — temperature
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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