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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 116 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mine — for digging
  3. land — a country
  4. degree — an amount
  5. land — to come down
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. land — ground
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. rule — a law
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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