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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bulb — for light
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rule — a law
  9. hand — help
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. degree — temperature
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bulb — for light
  16. degree — from a university
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fine — all right
  24. tube — a container

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