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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: degree · board · hide · last · pop · race · wake · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. last — final
  4. degree — an amount
  5. last — to go on
  6. board — to get on
  7. degree — from a university
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — a contest
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pop — music
  14. degree — temperature
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pop — soda
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. last — finally
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. board — a committee
  21. pop — to visit
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wake — a trail

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