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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. dip — to sink
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rule — a law
  11. wind — moving air
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. degree — from a university
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. jam — in traffic

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