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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. roll — a list
  7. drill — a practice
  8. race — a contest
  9. wake — a trail
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cap — a hat
  14. charge — a price
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. march — the month
  17. degree — temperature
  18. drill — army training
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. roll — a cake
  21. charge — electricity
  22. race — humankind
  23. charge — in control
  24. degree — from a university

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