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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rule — government
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mine — for digging
  7. degree — from a university
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rule — a law
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fan — to cool the air

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