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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 · pitcher · fine · toast · row · bay · race · capital

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. toast — bread
  3. race — humankind
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. row — a line
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. degree — an amount
  11. capital — a city
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. fine — all right
  17. race — the arms race
  18. capital — money
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. degree — from a university
  23. fine — high quality
  24. toast — the most admired

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