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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. spring — of water
  3. track — a path
  4. object — to protest
  5. spring — a coil
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pitch — completely
  8. degree — temperature
  9. spring — the season
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rule — a law
  12. track — a song
  13. rule — government
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. object — an aim
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mug — to rob
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mug — a cup
  24. object — a thing

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