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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. chip — for betting
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. race — humankind
  12. degree — from a university
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bulb — for light
  16. scale — in music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. race — the arms race
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bulb — for light
  23. lie — to recline
  24. chip — to eat

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