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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · stick · march · chair · degree · bowl

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. degree — an amount
  3. march — music
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. degree — temperature
  7. march — the month
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rash — a series
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. chair — a leader
  18. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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