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

Word bank: degree · mark · deal · bear · file · firm · march · toast

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. file — a line of people
  3. toast — bread
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. mark — a grade
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. firm — a company
  11. bear — the animal
  12. file — a tool
  13. deal — to handle
  14. file — a document
  15. firm — decided
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. mark — a trace
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. firm — steady

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