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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 120 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: racket · race · straw · object · board · degree

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. object — an aim
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. race — humankind
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. race — a contest
  11. object — a thing
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. object — to protest
  14. board — to get on
  15. degree — temperature
  16. race — the arms race
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. racket — a loud noise

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