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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: mark · cabinet · degree · race · leaves · ruler

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. race — humankind
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. race — a contest
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. degree — temperature
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mark — a trace
  18. race — the arms race

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