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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. spell — magic
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rock — a stone
  13. degree — temperature
  14. spell — letters
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rule — government
  18. bank — for money
  19. game — a match
  20. rule — a law
  21. bank — for money
  22. rock — music
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mine — an explosive

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