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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: race · cap · game · root · bowl · degree · ground · plane

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. plane — a tool
  3. race — a contest
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ground — the earth
  8. cap — of ice
  9. root — of a plant
  10. race — the arms race
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. root — of a word
  16. cap — a hat
  17. root — the cause
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. degree — an amount
  23. race — humankind
  24. plane — in geometry

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