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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 120 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mine — for digging
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fine — high quality
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. degree — from a university
  9. rule — a law
  10. board — to get on
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. field — farmland
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. field — a subject
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. rule — government
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fine — all right
  24. field — for sport

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