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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rule — a law
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mug — a cup
  5. vault — a safe
  6. rule — government
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. mug — to rob
  9. degree — an amount
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cold — not warm
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cold — an illness
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. mate — a partner
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bank — of a river

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