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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. degree — an amount
  4. game — a match
  5. degree — temperature
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. mine — for digging

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