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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. rest — a break
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. spell — magic
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. season — in sport
  8. spell — letters
  9. race — a contest
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. spell — a short time
  12. content — the amount
  13. present — the time now
  14. race — the arms race
  15. present — there
  16. season — of the year
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rest — what's left
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. present — a gift
  21. content — happy
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rest — what's left

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