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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fork — in a road
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rule — a law
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. degree — from a university
  15. season — in sport
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mark — a trace
  21. season — of the year
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bore — to drill

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