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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. race — the arms race
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rock — music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. deal — to handle
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. hand — help
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. tube — a container
  12. degree — from a university
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mark — a trace
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. race — a contest
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rock — a stone
  21. tube — the underground
  22. degree — an amount
  23. race — humankind
  24. tube — in a tire

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