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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 116 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: net · wound · race · straw · drill · mug · rule · degree

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wound — an injury
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mug — a cup
  6. race — a contest
  7. mug — to rob
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. net — after costs
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. net — for catching
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rule — a law
  20. wound — an injury
  21. drill — the tool
  22. race — humankind
  23. mug — a face
  24. rule — government

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