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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. march — music
  3. degree — an amount
  4. land — a country
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rule — government
  7. prune — to trim
  8. court — for sport
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. march — the month
  13. court — of a king
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. court — of law
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. march — the month
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. land — ground
  22. rule — a law
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. fan — a supporter

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