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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · mine · can · degree · pass · present · march · court

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. court — of law
  3. march — the month
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. degree — an amount
  6. can — a tin
  7. march — music
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. can — a tin
  15. degree — from a university
  16. present — a gift
  17. degree — temperature
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — there
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. pass — a permit
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mine — an explosive

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