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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mate — to breed
  5. race — the arms race
  6. tube — the underground
  7. race — humankind
  8. mate — a friend
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. firm — steady
  13. mine — for digging
  14. degree — temperature
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. degree — from a university
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. tube — a container
  19. firm — a company
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. race — a contest
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. mate — a partner

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