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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. degree — temperature
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. race — humankind
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. field — farmland
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. race — the arms race
  22. degree — from a university
  23. field — for sport
  24. degree — an amount

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