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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: pit · perch · degree · season · current · deal · key · race

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pit — in a race
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. current — of water
  5. season — in sport
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. perch — the fish
  10. race — the arms race
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. degree — temperature
  13. season — of the year
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pit — a hole
  16. key — in music
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. current — electric
  19. key — the most important part
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. race — a contest
  22. deal — to handle
  23. race — humankind
  24. current — happening now

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