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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 lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. degree — an amount
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. spring — the season
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. spring — of water
  13. last — finally
  14. degree — from a university
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fine — all right
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fine — high quality
  21. last — to go on
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. last — final

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