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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. land — a country
  3. march — music
  4. race — a contest
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. degree — from a university
  9. march — the month
  10. squash — the sport
  11. race — the arms race
  12. degree — an amount
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. march — the month
  16. net — for catching
  17. land — to come down
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. degree — temperature
  21. land — ground
  22. net — after costs
  23. squash — to crush
  24. net — in sport

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