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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: degree · roll · ball · foot · bear · row · race · club

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. race — the arms race
  4. degree — temperature
  5. race — a contest
  6. bear — the animal
  7. roll — a cake
  8. club — for dancing
  9. race — humankind
  10. row — a line
  11. ball — a dance
  12. club — a group
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bear — the animal
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. club — for golf
  20. row — to paddle
  21. roll — a list
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. degree — an amount

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