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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 120 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mark — a trace
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — money
  11. rule — government
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mark — a grade
  14. rock — a stone
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rock — music
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mine — for digging
  20. degree — an amount
  21. ball — a great time
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. degree — temperature

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