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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. degree — from a university
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. bulb — for light
  6. shower — rain
  7. race — the arms race
  8. drill — a practice
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. shower — to wash
  11. drill — the tool
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mine — for digging
  14. race — a contest
  15. bulb — for light
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. race — humankind
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. drill — army training
  24. club — a group

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