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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. degree — from a university
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. race — humankind
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. race — a contest
  8. march — music
  9. degree — an amount
  10. race — the arms race
  11. tear — from crying
  12. degree — temperature
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. march — the month
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. tear — to rip
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. march — the month

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