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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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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: degree · march · bay · wind · ball · mate · mine · mouse

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wind — moving air
  3. march — the month
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mine — for digging
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. degree — an amount
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. march — music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mouse — 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