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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. land — a country
  5. degree — temperature
  6. court — of law
  7. land — to come down
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rule — a law
  11. court — for sport
  12. tube — a container
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. land — ground
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. court — of a king
  21. rule — government
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bat — in an idiom

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