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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: cue · degree · present · row · cap · saw · race · firm

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. present — the time now
  3. race — a contest
  4. firm — a company
  5. row — a line
  6. degree — an amount
  7. row — to paddle
  8. cue — for pool
  9. firm — decided
  10. cap — a hat
  11. present — a gift
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cap — a lid
  15. saw — the tool
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. firm — steady
  18. race — the arms race
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. degree — temperature
  22. race — humankind
  23. degree — from a university
  24. present — there

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