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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. degree — from a university
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. clip — a video
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. degree — temperature
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rule — a law
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. spell — magic
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. degree — an amount
  20. spell — letters
  21. rule — government
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — shares
  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