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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: stick · race · present · pop · degree · dip

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pop — to visit
  3. degree — from a university
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. degree — temperature
  6. present — the time now
  7. degree — an amount
  8. dip — to sink
  9. race — the arms race
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. present — a gift
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — soda

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