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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: degree · race · bank · pound · rule · sharp

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bank — for money
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. sharp — clever
  8. degree — an amount
  9. race — a contest
  10. rule — a law
  11. degree — temperature
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. race — the arms race
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. degree — from a university
  16. race — humankind
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rule — government

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