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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. suit — clothes
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cap — a lid
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cap — of ice
  12. file — a document
  13. degree — an amount
  14. file — a tool
  15. suit — to fit
  16. rule — government
  17. suit — in cards
  18. cold — an illness
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lie — to recline
  21. cap — a hat
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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