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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. land — ground
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. race — the arms race
  8. land — to come down
  9. rest — a break
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. race — humankind
  13. date — the fruit
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bank — for money
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. land — a country
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bank — of a river
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rest — what's left
  22. race — a contest
  23. bank — for money
  24. date — on the calendar

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