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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: race · degree · bass · fan · foot · temple · ground · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ground — crushed
  6. race — humankind
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. race — the arms race
  9. ground — the earth
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ground — a position
  13. bass — low music
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bass — the fish
  16. foot — a measure
  17. race — a contest
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. degree — from a university
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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