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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rash — a series
  3. rule — a law
  4. capital — a city
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. track — a song
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rash — hasty
  13. land — a country
  14. degree — from a university
  15. track — to keep track
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. rule — government
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. track — a path
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. degree — temperature
  23. squash — the sport
  24. degree — an amount

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