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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: march · mate · shower · stand · degree · ball · bay · game

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mate — a friend
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. degree — an amount
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. shower — rain
  11. game — wild animals
  12. march — the month
  13. ball — a dance
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mate — a partner
  16. game — a match
  17. stand — to bear
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. march — the month
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. march — music
  24. shower — to wash

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