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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rash — hasty
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ground — a position
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ground — crushed
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rule — a law
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rash — a series
  23. date — the fruit
  24. degree — an amount

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