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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: pit · race · land · rash · net · toast · branch · degree

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. net — in sport
  2. land — a country
  3. rash — hasty
  4. race — a contest
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rash — a series
  8. net — for catching
  9. pit — a hole
  10. branch — a division
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. net — after costs
  15. race — the arms race
  16. land — ground
  17. race — humankind
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. degree — an amount
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. degree — temperature
  22. land — to come down
  23. pit — in a race
  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