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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. shower — rain
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. craft — boats
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pitch — completely
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. bass — low music

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