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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. race — a contest
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. race — the arms race
  6. rash — a series
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. spring — of water
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. race — humankind
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. cue — for pool
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. degree — an amount
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. cue — a signal

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