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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: net · rock · content · march · club · wake · degree · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. march — the month
  3. club — for golf
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. rock — a stone
  8. march — music
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. club — for dancing
  14. march — the month
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. club — a group
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. content — happy
  21. rock — music
  22. net — in sport
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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