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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. race — humankind
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. chip — for betting
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. ground — crushed
  10. squash — the sport
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. degree — an amount
  13. ground — a position
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bound — certain
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. degree — from a university
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. race — the arms race
  23. chip — to eat
  24. race — a contest

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