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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 120 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. drill — the tool
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rule — government
  11. degree — from a university
  12. drill — a practice
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. fine — high quality
  15. land — to come down
  16. fine — all right
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rest — what's left
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. land — ground
  21. drill — army training
  22. land — a country
  23. rule — a law
  24. degree — temperature

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