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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: race · stem · pass · degree · pit · cue

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. race — the arms race
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pit — in a race
  10. degree — from a university
  11. race — humankind
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pass — a permit
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cue — for pool
  18. race — a contest

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