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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 116 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: degree · safe · perch · coach · bass · last · race · game

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. perch — the fish
  3. race — the arms race
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. degree — from a university
  8. last — to go on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. last — final
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. race — a contest
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. race — humankind
  15. bass — low music
  16. last — finally
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bass — the fish
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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