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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.

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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: degree · chest · bear · mark · tear · rule · mouse · toast

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rule — a law
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. degree — from a university
  12. chest — of your body
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. toast — bread
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. degree — an amount
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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