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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. degree — an amount
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ball — a dance
  6. season — of the year
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mug — a cup
  9. season — in sport
  10. ball — a great time
  11. race — the arms race
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. last — final
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. last — to go on
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. last — finally
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — to rob
  22. race — a contest
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. race — humankind

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