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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. rule — government
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. toast — bread
  7. rash — hasty
  8. game — wild animals
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bank — of a river
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. bank — for money
  18. rule — a law
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rash — a series
  21. bank — for money
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mug — to rob

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