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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cue — for pool
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. degree — an amount
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cue — a signal
  10. march — the month
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bulb — for light
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. march — music
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bulb — for light
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bear — the animal

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