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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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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: toast · degree · suit · field · pass · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. toast — bread
  3. field — a subject
  4. suit — clothes
  5. degree — temperature
  6. field — farmland
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. suit — to fit
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pass — a permit
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. race — a contest
  15. field — for sport
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. suit — in cards
  18. pass — to spend time

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