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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. shower — rain
  6. degree — from a university
  7. lean — thin
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rule — government
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — a law
  21. pit — in a race
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wax — to grow
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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