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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. degree — from a university
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — the arms race
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rash — a series
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mate — to breed
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. net — for catching
  23. bass — low music
  24. degree — an amount

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