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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. degree — from a university
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. degree — an amount
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. field — for sport
  10. staff — employees
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. field — a subject
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rule — government
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. field — farmland
  19. cue — a hint
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. squash — to crush
  24. prune — to trim

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