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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. degree — an amount
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. race — humankind
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. can — a tin
  12. wound — an injury
  13. suit — to fit
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bass — low music
  17. race — the arms race
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. can — a tin
  20. bass — the fish
  21. suit — in cards
  22. degree — temperature
  23. can — to be able to
  24. suit — clothes

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