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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. can — a tin
  3. degree — an amount
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. degree — from a university
  6. mark — a trace
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. race — humankind
  9. spell — letters
  10. present — the time now
  11. mark — a grade
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. present — a gift
  16. degree — temperature
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. present — there
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wound — an injury
  22. race — a contest
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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