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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cap — a hat
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. race — a contest
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. spring — of water
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. staff — employees
  13. cap — a lid
  14. degree — an amount
  15. object — to protest
  16. staff — employees
  17. degree — from a university
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cap — of ice
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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