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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 120 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rock — music
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. race — humankind
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. season — of the year
  10. net — in sport
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. tube — the underground
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. plane — a tool
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. season — in sport
  18. rock — a stone
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. degree — an amount
  22. tube — a container
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. race — a contest

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