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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  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. pop — music
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. march — music
  4. shower — to wash
  5. degree — an amount
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. race — a contest
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. pop — to visit
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. degree — from a university
  15. race — the arms race
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pop — soda
  18. march — the month
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. march — the month
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. degree — temperature
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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