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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. current — happening now
  6. rule — a law
  7. current — electric
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rule — government
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. current — of water
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. last — final
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bound — certain

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