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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. rule — government
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. degree — temperature
  7. spring — of water
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. roll — a cake
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. swing — music
  13. roll — a list
  14. spring — the season
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. swing — in golf
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fine — high quality
  20. pitch — completely
  21. fine — all right
  22. hand — help
  23. rule — a law
  24. swing — to play on

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