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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 · race · staff · game · shower · pitcher · safe · season

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. shower — rain
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. season — in sport
  7. staff — a stick
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. staff — employees
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. race — humankind
  13. staff — employees
  14. race — the arms race
  15. degree — from a university
  16. race — a contest
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. degree — temperature
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. season — of the year
  24. game — wild animals

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