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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bat — the animal
  3. track — a song
  4. rule — a law
  5. ground — a position
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. degree — temperature
  8. ground — the earth
  9. rest — what's left
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rest — a break
  13. track — a path
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rule — government
  17. ground — crushed
  18. degree — from a university
  19. track — to keep track
  20. kid — child
  21. rest — what's left
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rule — to rule out

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