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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 116 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. deal — to handle
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — army training
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. court — of a king
  14. degree — an amount
  15. drill — the tool
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. degree — from a university
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. hand — help
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stem — to come from

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