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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: pit · race · mine · degree · mug · row · mate · safe

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — the arms race
  3. mate — to breed
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. pit — a hole
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mate — a friend
  10. row — to paddle
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mug — a face
  15. pit — in a race
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. race — a contest
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. row — a line
  24. mate — a partner

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