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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mark — a grade
  3. last — to go on
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bank — for money
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. court — of law
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. capital — money
  13. court — of a king
  14. last — finally
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. capital — a city
  18. court — for sport
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. last — final
  24. rule — to rule out

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