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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — in a road
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. race — a contest
  7. deal — to handle
  8. race — the arms race
  9. stand — to bear
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. degree — from a university
  13. race — humankind
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rash — a series
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fork — a garden tool

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