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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 116 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rule — a law
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. march — music
  13. degree — temperature
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. march — the month
  18. rule — government
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. chip — to eat
  21. shower — rain
  22. degree — an amount
  23. march — the month
  24. shower — to wash

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