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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: nail · bound · suit · game · race · swing · degree · object

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. race — the arms race
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — an aim
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. swing — in golf
  8. game — a match
  9. suit — to fit
  10. bound — certain
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bound — obliged
  13. suit — in cards
  14. swing — music
  15. object — a thing
  16. bound — tied together
  17. degree — from a university
  18. race — a contest
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. game — wild animals
  21. degree — temperature
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. degree — an amount
  24. race — humankind

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