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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. race — the arms race
  8. file — a line of people
  9. degree — an amount
  10. race — humankind
  11. row — to paddle
  12. file — a document
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. file — a tool
  24. kick — a thrill

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