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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. race — humankind
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. charge — a price
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. race — a contest
  7. charge — electricity
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pit — a hole
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pit — in a race
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. charge — in control
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. race — the arms race
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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