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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. race — humankind
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. race — the arms race
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. hand — in cards
  13. staff — employees
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. staff — employees
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pop — to visit
  18. rock — music
  19. degree — temperature
  20. staff — a stick
  21. degree — an amount
  22. stand — to bear
  23. race — a contest
  24. hand — help

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