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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. season — of the year
  6. mark — a grade
  7. fine — high quality
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. foot — a measure
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — all right
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. season — in sport
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bore — to drill
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bore — to tire

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