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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 120 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: sharp · race · pitcher · bank · swing · firm · mate · degree

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. mate — a partner
  3. race — the arms race
  4. degree — from a university
  5. swing — to play on
  6. degree — an amount
  7. firm — a company
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. swing — in golf
  11. race — a contest
  12. bank — for money
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bank — of a river
  15. firm — decided
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. race — humankind
  21. mate — a friend
  22. swing — music
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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