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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: mouse · march · mate · ruler · capital · game · branch · degree

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. branch — a division
  5. game — wild animals
  6. capital — a city
  7. degree — an amount
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. game — a match
  11. degree — from a university
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. march — the month
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. capital — money
  21. march — music
  22. degree — temperature
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. march — the month

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