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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 120 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: stand · perch · race · can · mate · mark · cap · degree

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. can — to be able to
  3. perch — the fish
  4. degree — from a university
  5. can — a tin
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mate — a partner
  9. cap — of ice
  10. race — humankind
  11. mate — to breed
  12. can — a tin
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. stand — to bear
  17. degree — an amount
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mark — a grade
  22. race — the arms race
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stand — on your feet

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