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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: board · pitch · track · rest · present · race · bowl · degree

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. present — there
  3. pitch — completely
  4. present — a gift
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. track — a song
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. race — a contest
  15. degree — temperature
  16. track — a path
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. track — to keep track
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. present — the time now
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. degree — an amount
  24. race — humankind

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