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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 124 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mug — to rob
  5. kid — child
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. race — humankind
  9. club — a group
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mug — a cup
  12. kid — to tease
  13. club — for golf
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mug — a face
  20. degree — from a university
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. club — for dancing
  23. race — a contest
  24. degree — temperature

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