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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rule — a law
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. tube — a container
  5. degree — from a university
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. lie — to recline
  9. current — of water
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. tube — the underground
  12. degree — temperature
  13. present — a gift
  14. rule — government
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. present — there
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. present — the time now
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. date — the fruit

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