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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. degree — from a university
  3. current — electric
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. current — happening now
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. date — the fruit
  10. race — a contest
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. current — of water
  15. shower — rain
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. race — humankind
  19. shower — to wash
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bear — the animal
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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