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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. degree — an amount
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. degree — from a university
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. race — the arms race
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fine — high quality
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. lie — to recline
  16. fine — all right
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — a permit
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. hand — help
  24. lie — an untruth

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