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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 120 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: rush · rock · degree · kid · march · leaves · board · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. rock — a stone
  4. march — the month
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. degree — from a university
  8. kid — to tease
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. board — to get on
  13. march — music
  14. degree — an amount
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. rock — music
  17. board — a committee
  18. rush — hurry
  19. kid — child
  20. march — the month
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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