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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. field — for sport
  5. bass — low music
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bass — the fish
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. field — farmland
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. race — the arms race
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. field — a subject
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. race — humankind
  24. temple — a place of worship

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