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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rule — government
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mate — a friend
  9. degree — temperature
  10. race — the arms race
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. degree — an amount
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. race — humankind
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rule — a law
  18. wax — to grow
  19. degree — from a university
  20. prune — to trim
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pit — a hole
  24. race — a contest

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