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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. squash — the sport
  6. degree — an amount
  7. current — happening now
  8. rule — government
  9. degree — from a university
  10. fall — to drop
  11. current — electric
  12. rush — hurry
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. cell — in biology
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rule — a law
  19. scale — in music
  20. current — of water
  21. fall — to drop
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. degree — temperature

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