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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. rule — a law
  7. bank — for money
  8. spring — a coil
  9. degree — temperature
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mug — a face
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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