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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 120 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. object — a thing
  4. degree — temperature
  5. face — to confront
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. race — the arms race
  8. object — to protest
  9. chair — a leader
  10. degree — from a university
  11. object — an aim
  12. deal — to handle
  13. degree — an amount
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. race — a contest
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rush — hurry
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — part of the head

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