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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. race — humankind
  4. degree — temperature
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. land — a country
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ball — a dance
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ball — a great time
  17. degree — from a university
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. coach — a trainer

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