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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. toast — bread
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rule — government
  5. degree — from a university
  6. mug — a cup
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rule — a law
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. mug — a face
  13. game — wild animals
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. degree — an amount
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. toast — the most admired

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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