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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: track · degree · ruler · race · arm · march · spell · current

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. march — the month
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. spell — a short time
  9. race — the arms race
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. march — music
  12. spell — magic
  13. current — happening now
  14. degree — an amount
  15. current — of water
  16. track — a path
  17. march — the month
  18. current — electric
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. ruler — a monarch

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