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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. race — the arms race
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. face — to point toward
  7. staff — employees
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mug — to rob
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mug — a face
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — a contest
  14. rash — a series
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. face — part of the head
  18. staff — a stick
  19. branch — a division
  20. face — to confront
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. degree — an amount
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. staff — employees

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