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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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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: spring · deal · race · plane · pass · kick · degree · march

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. plane — a tool
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. spring — a coil
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. race — a contest
  12. pass — a permit
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. race — humankind
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. march — the month
  17. kick — in football
  18. deal — to handle
  19. degree — temperature
  20. race — the arms race
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. degree — an amount

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