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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. race — a contest
  3. wake — a trail
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bear — the animal
  11. race — the arms race
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bear — the animal
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. kick — in football
  16. race — humankind
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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