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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. race — humankind
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bear — the animal
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. object — to protest
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bound — certain
  11. bear — the animal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bound — tied together
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bound — obliged
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. object — an aim
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. race — a contest
  22. kick — in football
  23. object — a thing
  24. race — the arms race

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