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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: root · court · mug · hide · pitcher · degree · pop · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. degree — an amount
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. pop — music
  6. mug — a face
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mug — a cup
  10. root — of a word
  11. court — for sport
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pop — to visit
  14. court — of a king
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. root — the cause
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. court — of law
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pop — soda
  21. mug — to rob
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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