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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. rest — a break
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. degree — from a university
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. track — a path
  9. degree — temperature
  10. track — a song
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cell — in biology
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cell — a phone
  19. race — a contest
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rest — what's left
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. lie — to recline

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