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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: row · bear · bark · ball · race · pit · degree · current

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — temperature
  4. row — a line
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. current — of water
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. current — electric
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. current — happening now
  24. race — a contest

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