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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. march — music
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. march — the month
  10. snap — to click
  11. march — the month
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. chair — a leader
  19. degree — from a university
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bark — of a tree

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