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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bat — the animal
  4. race — a contest
  5. degree — from a university
  6. firm — a company
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rush — hurry
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. toast — bread
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. race — humankind
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. race — the arms race
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. firm — decided
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. firm — steady

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