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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kick — in football
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. race — humankind
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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