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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. land — a country
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. land — to come down
  5. race — a contest
  6. land — ground
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. mug — a face
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. game — wild animals
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mug — to rob
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. race — humankind
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. degree — an amount
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. game — a match
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. race — the arms race

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