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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. track — to keep track
  3. can — a tin
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bulb — for light
  7. track — a song
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bulb — for light
  10. race — humankind
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. degree — temperature
  13. face — to confront
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. race — a contest
  16. game — a match
  17. face — part of the head
  18. can — to be able to
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. can — a tin
  21. track — a path
  22. game — wild animals
  23. face — to point toward
  24. degree — from a university

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