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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: cabinet · foot · season · dip · date · race · degree · band

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. band — a ring
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. degree — an amount
  6. race — a contest
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. degree — temperature
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. band — a music group
  11. race — the arms race
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. dip — to sink
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. degree — from a university
  17. date — the fruit
  18. foot — a measure
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. season — in sport
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. season — of the year
  24. dip — to dunk

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