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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. degree — temperature
  4. chip — for betting
  5. race — the arms race
  6. fall — to drop
  7. race — humankind
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chip — to eat
  10. fall — the season
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chair — a leader
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mark — a grade
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. race — a contest
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. chair — to sit on

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