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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. tube — a container
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. charge — in control
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. race — a contest
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rock — music
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. shower — rain
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. sharp — clever
  16. degree — from a university
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. shower — to wash
  19. race — humankind
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — a price
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. race — the arms race

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