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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. rule — a law
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. rule — government
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. chip — for betting
  7. degree — temperature
  8. race — humankind
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. present — a gift
  15. race — a contest
  16. dip — to sink
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — from a university
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. present — there
  21. race — the arms race
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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