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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rash — hasty
  6. race — a contest
  7. object — an aim
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. degree — an amount
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — to protest
  14. capital — money
  15. rash — a series
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. capital — a city
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. can — a tin
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. can — a tin

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