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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. degree — an amount
  3. can — to be able to
  4. race — the arms race
  5. can — a tin
  6. race — humankind
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. race — a contest
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bank — for money
  15. can — a tin
  16. rule — government
  17. wake — a trail
  18. fork — in a road
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. bank — of a river

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