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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. spell — letters
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bound — tied together
  5. stand — to bear
  6. roll — a list
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bound — obliged
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bound — certain
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rule — a law
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. spell — magic
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. spell — a short time
  21. roll — a cake
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — to rule out

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