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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: race · kick · key · degree · swing · shower · staff · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. race — a contest
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. staff — a stick
  6. key — in music
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. swing — to play on
  11. kick — in football
  12. staff — employees
  13. key — for a lock
  14. swing — in golf
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. degree — an amount
  18. swing — music
  19. shower — to wash
  20. race — humankind
  21. shower — rain
  22. staff — employees
  23. key — the most important part
  24. race — the arms race

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