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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. march — music
  3. court — of a king
  4. rest — a break
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. race — humankind
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — an aim
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rule — a law
  11. race — the arms race
  12. board — to get on
  13. degree — from a university
  14. board — a committee
  15. rest — what's left
  16. court — of law
  17. object — to protest
  18. race — a contest
  19. rule — government
  20. march — the month
  21. degree — temperature
  22. court — for sport
  23. march — the month
  24. rest — what's left

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