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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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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: mark · cell · race · wave · cabinet · rush · staff · degree

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. degree — temperature
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mark — a grade
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. staff — employees
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. staff — a stick
  17. race — humankind
  18. staff — employees
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mark — a trace
  21. race — a contest
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rush — to hurry

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