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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lean — to bend
  7. degree — from a university
  8. race — a contest
  9. degree — temperature
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. drill — army training
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. drill — the tool
  14. date — the fruit
  15. degree — an amount
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. race — humankind
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. lean — thin

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