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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. mug — a face
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rash — a series
  8. last — to go on
  9. race — a contest
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. firm — steady
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. degree — temperature
  17. firm — decided
  18. mug — to rob
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mug — a cup
  21. rash — hasty
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. race — humankind
  24. jam — a tight spot

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