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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. race — humankind
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. craft — a skill
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. snap — to click
  8. court — of a king
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. staff — employees
  12. race — the arms race
  13. staff — a stick
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. staff — employees
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bark — to shout
  18. race — a contest
  19. vault — a safe
  20. degree — temperature
  21. court — of law
  22. craft — boats
  23. court — for sport
  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