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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. object — a thing
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. track — a path
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wax — to grow
  12. fork — in a road
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rule — a law
  15. sharp — clever
  16. object — to protest
  17. chair — a leader
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. object — an aim
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. chair — a professorship

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