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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. shower — rain
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. present — the time now
  10. race — the arms race
  11. mark — a trace
  12. race — humankind
  13. degree — temperature
  14. race — a contest
  15. rule — government
  16. pound — a weight
  17. shower — to wash
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rule — a law
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — there
  23. coach — a trainer
  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