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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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Word bank
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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bass — low music
  7. stand — to bear
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. rule — a law
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. rule — government
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mate — a friend
  22. pit — in a race
  23. degree — temperature
  24. stand — for spectators

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