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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lean — thin
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. can — a tin
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pop — soda
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pop — music
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pop — to visit
  16. tear — to rip
  17. can — a tin
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. can — to be able to
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. race — humankind

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