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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. degree — temperature
  5. perch — the fish
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. race — humankind
  12. bound — tied together
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bound — certain
  20. degree — from a university
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wound — an injury
  23. race — a contest
  24. rash — on the skin

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