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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. last — final
  5. row — to paddle
  6. last — to go on
  7. tear — to rip
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. tear — from crying
  11. last — finally
  12. club — for golf
  13. net — for catching
  14. tear — from crying
  15. row — a line
  16. club — for dancing
  17. net — after costs
  18. race — humankind
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. net — in sport
  21. club — a group
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. degree — from a university

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