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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. craft — boats
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. degree — an amount
  5. current — of water
  6. march — the month
  7. current — electric
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pound — a weight
  15. current — happening now
  16. race — a contest
  17. lie — to recline
  18. race — the arms race
  19. march — music
  20. race — humankind
  21. march — the month
  22. degree — temperature
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wave — of the sea

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