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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. rash — a series
  3. degree — from a university
  4. court — of a king
  5. sharp — clever
  6. degree — an amount
  7. court — of law
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mate — a friend
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. court — for sport
  14. mate — to breed
  15. race — humankind
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rash — hasty

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