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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. club — for golf
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. firm — a company
  6. race — humankind
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. club — a group
  11. race — a contest
  12. rush — hurry
  13. race — the arms race
  14. club — for dancing
  15. firm — steady
  16. rash — a series
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. firm — decided
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. degree — temperature
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. safe — out of danger

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