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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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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: degree · fork · jam · pass · land · bass · game · race

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bass — the fish
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. race — a contest
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. game — wild animals
  13. race — humankind
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. bass — low music
  18. degree — from a university
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. degree — an amount
  23. game — a match
  24. land — a country

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