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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · rule · deal · ball · degree · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. mate — a partner
  5. ball — a dance
  6. rule — government
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. degree — from a university
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rule — a law
  15. ball — a great time
  16. degree — an amount
  17. staff — a stick
  18. ball — a round shape

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