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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: degree · press · race · club · mark · bat · ground · saw

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bat — the animal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. press — to push
  9. mark — a trace
  10. saw — the tool
  11. club — for golf
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. degree — temperature
  15. race — a contest
  16. mark — a grade
  17. ground — a position
  18. race — humankind
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. degree — from a university
  21. ground — the earth
  22. club — for dancing
  23. ground — crushed
  24. club — a group

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