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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: bark · mug · mark · deal · rash · race · jam · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rash — a series
  3. degree — from a university
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rash — hasty
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. race — a contest
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — a face
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. deal — to handle
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. race — humankind
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mug — to rob
  22. race — the arms race
  23. mark — a trace
  24. degree — temperature

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