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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. game — a match
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rule — government
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. charge — electricity
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wound — an injury
  9. club — for dancing
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stock — shares
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. charge — in control
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wound — an injury
  21. charge — a price
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stock — goods
  24. rule — a law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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