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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. degree — from a university
  6. band — a ring
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bulb — for light
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. degree — temperature
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cell — a phone
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. band — a music group
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rule — a law
  24. lie — an untruth

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