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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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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: jam · pound · straw · rash · perch · degree · rule · race

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. degree — temperature
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. degree — an amount
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. rash — a series
  10. rule — government
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. rule — a law
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pound — a weight
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. degree — from a university
  19. race — humankind
  20. perch — the fish
  21. rash — hasty
  22. race — a contest
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. jam — in traffic

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