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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 120 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rush — hurry
  4. degree — temperature
  5. craft — a skill
  6. mate — to breed
  7. race — humankind
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mate — a friend
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bear — the animal
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. race — a contest
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. craft — boats

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