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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. race — humankind
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bound — tied together
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. court — for sport
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cell — in biology
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — a stone
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. court — of law
  23. rock — music
  24. court — of a king

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