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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: arm · march · charge · net · deal · roll · drill · degree

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. march — the month
  4. net — in sport
  5. roll — a list
  6. drill — army training
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. roll — a cake
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. degree — from a university
  11. charge — electricity
  12. deal — to handle
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. net — after costs
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. degree — temperature
  19. march — music
  20. charge — a price
  21. march — the month
  22. charge — in control
  23. degree — an amount
  24. arm — part of the body

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