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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. degree — from a university
  3. board — a committee
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. degree — an amount
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. degree — temperature
  9. staff — employees
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — government
  12. staff — employees
  13. land — ground
  14. march — music
  15. staff — a stick
  16. land — to come down
  17. march — the month
  18. board — to get on
  19. march — the month
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. mouse — for a computer

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