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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: bay · bulb · rush · cell · row · degree · club · race

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. race — humankind
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. club — for golf
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. club — a group
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. row — to paddle
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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