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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. race — humankind
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. suit — to fit
  6. kid — to tease
  7. can — to be able to
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kid — child
  11. race — the arms race
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. degree — from a university
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. suit — in cards
  17. can — a tin
  18. race — a contest
  19. band — a music group
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. suit — clothes
  24. perch — the fish

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