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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: bay · mug · deal · band · ball · rule · degree · land

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  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. ball — a great time
  2. mug — a cup
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. band — a ring
  6. mug — to rob
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. band — a music group
  9. land — a country
  10. rule — government
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mug — a face
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. land — to come down
  15. ball — a dance
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. degree — an amount
  18. land — ground
  19. rule — a law
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  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