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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. game — a match
  6. cap — a lid
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. degree — temperature
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cell — a phone
  12. content — the amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. race — humankind
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. cap — a hat
  18. degree — an amount
  19. race — a contest
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cap — of ice
  23. game — wild animals
  24. ruler — for measuring

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