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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. row — to paddle
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. degree — temperature
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. degree — an amount
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. ball — a dance
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. degree — from a university
  17. dip — to sink
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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