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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. degree — temperature
  4. fork — in a road
  5. swing — in golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. land — to come down
  8. snap — to click
  9. swing — music
  10. club — a group
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. swing — to play on
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bound — obliged
  21. club — for golf
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  24. fork — to eat with

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