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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  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. race — the arms race
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. firm — steady
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. saw — the tool
  7. kid — to tease
  8. degree — an amount
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. race — a contest
  11. net — in sport
  12. kid — child
  13. firm — decided
  14. net — after costs
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. net — for catching
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. firm — a company
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bowl — a football final
  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