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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fine — all right
  4. key — in music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. present — the time now
  7. degree — an amount
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. present — there
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rule — government
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. present — a gift
  20. key — the most important part
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wind — moving air
  23. degree — temperature
  24. key — for a lock

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