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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. current — electric
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rule — a law
  10. tube — the underground
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rule — government
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cue — for pool
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rash — hasty
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rash — a series
  24. tube — a container

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