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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: race · content · pass · mouse · degree · arm · craft · racket

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. race — a contest
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. race — humankind
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a skill
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pass — a permit
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mouse — the animal

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