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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: date · coach · fine · degree · stem · race · fall · bay

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fall — the season
  3. race — humankind
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. race — a contest
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. fall — to drop
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fine — high quality
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fall — to drop
  22. degree — temperature
  23. fine — all right
  24. stem — to come from

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