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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. fall — the season
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mark — a grade
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. race — humankind
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mark — a trace
  15. degree — from a university
  16. content — happy
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. degree — temperature
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. degree — an amount
  22. content — the amount
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. fall — to drop

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