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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: wave · straw · board · degree · toast · ball · race · mouse

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. degree — an amount
  3. ball — a dance
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. toast — bread
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. degree — from a university
  11. ball — a great time
  12. race — the arms race
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. degree — temperature
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. board — to get on
  19. race — humankind
  20. board — a committee
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. race — a contest
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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