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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. trunk — of a car
  2. degree — temperature
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. race — humankind
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mine — for digging
  7. capital — a city
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. sharp — clever
  10. race — the arms race
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. degree — an amount
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. degree — from a university
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. mine — an explosive
  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