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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: cap · degree · field · track · race · racket · mine · lean

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. track — to keep track
  3. lean — thin
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a hat
  8. degree — temperature
  9. track — a path
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — to bend
  12. degree — an amount
  13. track — a song
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mine — for digging
  16. race — a contest
  17. degree — from a university
  18. field — for sport
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. field — a subject
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. field — farmland
  24. race — the arms race

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