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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. game — a match
  3. season — of the year
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. can — a tin
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. degree — temperature
  10. wound — an injury
  11. degree — from a university
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — humankind
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. race — a contest
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wound — an injury
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. season — in sport

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