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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. degree — temperature
  12. race — a contest
  13. degree — an amount
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. pound — a weight
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. race — the arms race
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. degree — from a university

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