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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. firm — a company
  3. drill — army training
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bank — for money
  8. drill — the tool
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. firm — steady
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bank — for money
  18. race — humankind
  19. march — music
  20. firm — decided
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mug — a face
  23. race — the arms race
  24. march — the month

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