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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.

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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: pop · kid · nail · race · present · court · bear · degree

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. degree — temperature
  3. race — humankind
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. court — for sport
  11. race — a contest
  12. degree — an amount
  13. court — of a king
  14. degree — from a university
  15. kid — child
  16. present — a gift
  17. court — of law
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. present — there
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bear — the animal
  23. present — the time now
  24. nail — for a hammer

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