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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: march · track · bay · race · coach · wave · degree · rule

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. rule — a law
  5. degree — an amount
  6. march — the month
  7. race — the arms race
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rule — government
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. race — humankind
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. race — a contest
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. track — to keep track
  20. march — the month
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. track — a song
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. march — music

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