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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. race — a contest
  3. degree — from a university
  4. race — the arms race
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — clothes
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. game — a match
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bank — for money
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cap — a hat
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bank — for money
  19. pop — soda
  20. cap — a lid
  21. degree — temperature
  22. race — humankind
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bank — of a river

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