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

Word bank: foot · stick · rule · bear · degree · race · toast · wind

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wind — moving air
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bear — the animal
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wind — moving air
  10. degree — from a university
  11. toast — bread
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. foot — a measure
  17. rule — government
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. race — a contest
  22. rule — a law
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. foot — part of the body

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