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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 · board · racket · safe · pitch · race

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. degree — from a university
  5. race — humankind
  6. board — to get on
  7. degree — an amount
  8. race — the arms race
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pitch — completely
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. race — a contest
  17. degree — temperature
  18. board — a flat piece

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