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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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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: craft · last · rule · bank · race · degree · pit · bark

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bank — for money
  4. last — to go on
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. last — finally
  7. degree — from a university
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. race — humankind
  10. bank — of a river
  11. craft — boats
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rule — government
  14. degree — temperature
  15. race — a contest
  16. bank — for money
  17. rule — a law
  18. race — the arms race
  19. craft — a skill
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. last — final
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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