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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. degree — an amount
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. track — a song
  6. toast — bread
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. track — a path
  9. land — a country
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. land — to come down
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. land — ground
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rule — government
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. track — to keep track
  24. toast — the most admired

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