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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: bowl · degree · calf · race · pass · firm

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pass — a permit
  5. degree — temperature
  6. race — a contest
  7. firm — a company
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. firm — steady
  10. race — humankind
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. firm — decided
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. calf — a young animal

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