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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. race — the arms race
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. degree — from a university
  9. object — an aim
  10. race — a contest
  11. object — a thing
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. degree — temperature
  15. march — music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. degree — an amount
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bat — the animal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. object — to protest

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