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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: race · current · cell · degree · roll · row

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. roll — a list
  3. race — the arms race
  4. cell — in biology
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. current — of water
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. degree — temperature
  10. row — a line
  11. current — happening now
  12. row — to paddle
  13. race — a contest
  14. current — electric
  15. race — humankind
  16. cell — a phone
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake

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