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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. march — the month
  3. current — happening now
  4. degree — an amount
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. march — the month
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. row — a line
  18. current — electric
  19. current — of water
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. march — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cabinet — ministers

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