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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. spell — a short time
  6. field — a subject
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rule — government
  10. hand — in cards
  11. degree — temperature
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. field — for sport
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. degree — from a university
  20. field — farmland
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. rule — a law

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