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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. degree — from a university
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. rule — a law
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. spell — letters
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rule — government
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. bass — low music
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bass — the fish
  24. degree — an amount

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