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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: rule · game · last · degree · bay · march · fan · scale

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. game — a match
  3. degree — temperature
  4. march — the month
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. scale — in music
  7. march — the month
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. scale — size or range
  11. degree — an amount
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. game — wild animals
  17. last — to go on
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. march — music
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. fan — a supporter

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