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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — an amount
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rule — a law
  9. hand — help
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — steady
  13. hand — in cards
  14. firm — a company
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mine — for digging
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wake — a trail
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rule — government

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