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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — the arms race
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. squash — to crush
  8. degree — from a university
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. degree — temperature
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. race — a contest
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. wax — to grow
  22. mine — for digging
  23. dip — to sink
  24. plane — an aircraft

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