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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rule — a law
  6. pitch — completely
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pop — music
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pop — soda
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. roll — a cake
  13. degree — an amount
  14. band — a ring
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. roll — a list
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. band — a music group
  24. ruler — a monarch

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