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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. race — humankind
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. toast — bread
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. race — the arms race
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. kid — to tease
  12. degree — from a university
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. kid — child
  16. degree — an amount
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — in a race
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pit — a hole
  22. race — a contest
  23. chip — for betting
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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