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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. race — the arms race
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rock — a stone
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. race — humankind
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. object — a thing
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — music
  15. degree — an amount
  16. object — an aim
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. race — a contest
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. object — to protest

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