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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rash — hasty
  4. mark — a grade
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. degree — from a university
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. roll — a cake
  19. rash — a series
  20. rush — hurry
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. rule — government

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