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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. race — humankind
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a trace
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. race — the arms race
  11. lean — to bend
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. fine — all right
  15. lean — thin
  16. race — a contest
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. kid — to tease
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. fine — high quality
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

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