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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: racket · leaves · row · chip · degree · race · spell · board

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. race — humankind
  3. board — a committee
  4. spell — magic
  5. degree — temperature
  6. chip — to eat
  7. race — the arms race
  8. row — to paddle
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. degree — an amount
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. spell — a short time
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. row — a line
  19. spell — letters
  20. chip — for betting
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. board — to get on
  23. race — a contest
  24. leaves — lets stay

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