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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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. degree — temperature
  6. race — humankind
  7. clip — a video
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mark — a grade
  13. ball — a dance
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. degree — an amount
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ball — a great time
  23. race — a contest
  24. clip — for paper

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