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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bat — the animal
  3. race — humankind
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. degree — temperature
  6. spring — of water
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. spring — a coil
  9. key — in music
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. key — for a lock
  17. spring — the season
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. key — the most important part
  21. race — the arms race
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. race — a contest
  24. ruler — for measuring

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