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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 · patient · press · nail · degree · bass · safe · drill

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. press — a publisher
  4. degree — from a university
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bass — the fish
  7. race — a contest
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. drill — army training
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. drill — a practice
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. press — newspapers
  17. race — the arms race
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bass — low music
  22. press — to push
  23. drill — the tool
  24. race — humankind

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