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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. rush — hurry
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. race — the arms race
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. race — a contest
  13. toast — bread
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. rule — a law
  17. season — of the year
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. season — in sport
  24. rule — government

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