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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: deal · race · safe · squash · present · perch · degree · pop

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pop — music
  3. present — the time now
  4. degree — temperature
  5. race — the arms race
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. race — humankind
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. squash — to crush
  10. race — a contest
  11. pop — soda
  12. perch — the fish
  13. degree — an amount
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. present — there
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pop — to visit
  18. deal — to handle
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. present — a gift
  23. degree — from a university
  24. safe — out of danger

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