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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: safe · spring · race · wake · rush · rule · degree · pass

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. spring — of water
  8. race — humankind
  9. pass — a permit
  10. degree — temperature
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. spring — the season
  14. race — a contest
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — government
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. degree — an amount
  24. race — the arms race

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