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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rash — hasty
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. season — of the year
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. degree — temperature
  8. craft — a skill
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. craft — boats
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. degree — an amount
  15. content — the amount
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. content — happy
  18. rash — a series
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. degree — from a university
  22. race — the arms race
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. content — videos and posts

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