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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wind — moving air
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. rule — government
  7. mug — a face
  8. rule — a law
  9. degree — an amount
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mug — to rob
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mug — a cup
  21. stand — to bear
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wax — to grow

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