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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. race — humankind
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bulb — for light
  10. saw — the tool
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. land — a country
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bulb — for light
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — to rob
  23. race — a contest
  24. degree — an amount

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