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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. spring — of water
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. track — a song
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. track — a path
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rule — government
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. spring — the season
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rule — a law
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rock — music
  23. spring — a coil
  24. degree — from a university

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