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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. race — a contest
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. degree — an amount
  10. land — a country
  11. race — humankind
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. capital — money
  19. degree — from a university
  20. capital — a city
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bowl — a dish

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