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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. degree — an amount
  3. land — to come down
  4. kick — in football
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bank — for money
  8. craft — boats
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. object — to protest
  11. land — ground
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bank — of a river
  15. land — a country
  16. craft — a skill
  17. race — the arms race
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. object — a thing
  20. degree — from a university
  21. race — a contest
  22. bank — for money
  23. object — an aim
  24. race — humankind

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