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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. degree — from a university
  3. race — the arms race
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. race — a contest
  6. net — after costs
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bore — to tire
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rash — hasty
  13. net — for catching
  14. degree — temperature
  15. race — humankind
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. rash — a series
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. rest — a break
  24. jam — in traffic

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