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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. degree — temperature
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. craft — boats
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. craft — a skill
  22. scale — in music
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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