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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. degree — from a university
  3. race — humankind
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. race — the arms race
  8. rock — a stone
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. degree — an amount
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bat — the animal
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. race — a contest
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rock — music
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ruler — for measuring

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