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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. race — the arms race
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. race — humankind
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rule — government
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. degree — an amount
  11. saw — the tool
  12. race — a contest
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. degree — temperature
  21. saw — the tool
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. degree — from a university

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