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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. wind — moving air
  3. drill — a practice
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. drill — the tool
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. shower — to wash
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. degree — an amount
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. drill — army training
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wind — moving air

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