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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 120 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: mark · march · content · rest · swing · can · degree · row

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. swing — in golf
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. mark — a grade
  5. rest — what's left
  6. content — the amount
  7. march — the month
  8. row — to paddle
  9. can — a tin
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. swing — to play on
  12. rest — what's left
  13. march — the month
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. row — a line
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mark — a trace
  18. swing — music
  19. can — a tin
  20. content — happy
  21. degree — temperature
  22. rest — a break
  23. degree — an amount
  24. can — to be able to

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