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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 120 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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. degree — temperature
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. kid — child
  7. bat — the animal
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. charge — in control
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. band — a music group
  16. degree — from a university
  17. chair — a leader
  18. kid — to tease
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. band — a ring
  23. degree — an amount
  24. ruler — for measuring

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