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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. race — a contest
  3. rash — a series
  4. drill — army training
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cue — for pool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. race — humankind
  14. chair — a leader
  15. land — to come down
  16. degree — from a university
  17. land — ground
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cue — a signal
  23. drill — the tool
  24. race — the arms race

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