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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 120 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. tear — from crying
  3. race — a contest
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. tear — to rip
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. degree — from a university
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. race — humankind

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