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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. craft — a skill
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. degree — from a university
  6. court — of law
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. degree — temperature
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. face — part of the head
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. face — to confront
  16. court — for sport
  17. fall — to drop
  18. craft — boats
  19. fall — the season
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. fork — in a road
  23. court — of a king
  24. degree — an amount

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