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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: jam · net · hide · cabinet · degree · ruler · bulb · march

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. degree — from a university
  5. march — music
  6. net — in sport
  7. degree — temperature
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. net — after costs
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. bulb — for light
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. march — the month
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. net — for catching
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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