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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. degree — an amount
  3. spring — of water
  4. rule — government
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rule — a law
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a leader
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mate — a partner
  12. spring — the season
  13. mate — a friend
  14. degree — temperature
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. charge — a price
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. charge — in control
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. charge — electricity
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mate — to breed

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