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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. scale — in music
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rest — what's left
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stock — goods
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. stock — shares
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. vault — a safe
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rule — a law
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rest — a break
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. degree — from a university

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