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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. race — a contest
  4. rock — a stone
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. suit — in cards
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rash — hasty
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mine — for digging
  11. race — humankind
  12. scale — in music
  13. rock — music
  14. rash — a series
  15. suit — to fit
  16. degree — temperature
  17. suit — clothes
  18. scale — size or range
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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