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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. spring — of water
  2. degree — an amount
  3. spring — the season
  4. degree — from a university
  5. can — a tin
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. degree — temperature
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — the animal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. race — humankind
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pass — a permit
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. race — a contest
  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