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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. degree — temperature
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rule — government
  7. key — in music
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. key — for a lock
  10. ball — a great time
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mate — a friend
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. degree — from a university
  17. cap — of ice
  18. rule — a law
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mate — to breed
  21. degree — an amount
  22. ball — a dance
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cell — in biology

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