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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. race — the arms race
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. sharp — clever
  8. current — of water
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. march — the month
  11. race — a contest
  12. rash — a series
  13. march — the month
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. current — electric
  16. race — humankind
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. season — of the year
  19. current — happening now
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. degree — from a university
  22. march — music
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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