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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rule — government
  3. cap — a hat
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fine — high quality
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. mate — to breed
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rule — a law
  12. roll — a list
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. mate — a partner
  19. degree — an amount
  20. file — a document
  21. degree — from a university
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mate — a friend

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