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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 · squash · pass · wind · degree · field · key

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. march — the month
  3. key — for a lock
  4. squash — the sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. squash — to crush
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. march — the month
  11. wind — moving air
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. degree — temperature
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. field — for sport
  18. degree — from a university
  19. field — farmland
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. march — music
  23. degree — an amount
  24. field — a subject

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