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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. degree — temperature
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. craft — a skill
  10. chip — to eat
  11. last — finally
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chip — for betting
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. race — a contest
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. craft — boats
  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