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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 · wake · snap · degree · fork · cabinet · craft · foot

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. race — the arms race
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. degree — from a university
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. race — a contest
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wake — a trail
  12. craft — a skill
  13. snap — to click
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. race — humankind
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. craft — boats
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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