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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 · race · key · wave · track · shower · bark · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. race — a contest
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. race — humankind
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. race — the arms race
  8. degree — an amount
  9. track — a song
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. degree — from a university
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. degree — temperature
  15. key — the most important part
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. track — a path
  18. shower — rain
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. shower — to wash

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