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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · date · race · degree · coach · board · bat · fan

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. race — humankind
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. date — the fruit
  6. root — of a plant
  7. board — a committee
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. degree — temperature
  10. board — to get on
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bat — the animal
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. race — a contest
  16. root — the cause
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. race — the arms race
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. root — of a word
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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